So I've been here for a bit now. Really enjoying the intelligent conversations and the people. Keep running across this
Hugelkultur word. Made a note to find out what it meant. Well today I found Paul's
video with the explanation. Half way through it I thought, "Holy bat crap, there's a name for this." I've been doing this for years. People who saw me do it thought I was nuts. Well I am a little nuts but evidently I was right about this.
I'm... 'different', always have been. I am blessed in that the planet's elemental beings are always guiding me when I work with the earth. The first time
Hugelkultur came about, was because I had a pine tree down. I didn't want to put it in the
wood stove... but what to do with it? I'd like to say
I thought it up but I know
'They' whispered it in my ear. When I was done installing my 'nothern
dragon element' to the flat Florida
yard with it's bad Florida soil, I was very pleased. It was better Feng Shui and so much more interesting. In August when so many plants in Florida succumb to the molds, the dragon garden plants did not. Crazy good idea so I used it a few more times over the years.
Fast forward to eight years ago. There's a slope to the original property. Back in the late 50's they sold a piece on the downward slope. The owners of the new piece leveled their lot and no one thought to put a retainer wall on the edge of my property but they did put a lovely chain link
fence. It's almost a two foot drop and the soil had been washing away for years. I filled in the drop with brush, chunks of stumps and muck from the goat pen. The
fence held so I just kept layering it. My soil no longer leaves and the wisteria honeysuckle and ivy have taken over the ugly fence making a lovely privacy screen. I never have to
water it. And it's much better Feng Shui. Water is money and no one wants their money running down the slope to someone else's yard!