Late start...what to do next?

Hello ladies and gents, I'm new to hugelkultur and the forums and could use a little direction.  I've started my first bed, two foot below grade with a good mix of new to decaying logs followed by branches and twigs. Voids filled with a rich garden soil and watered in as I went.  My original plan was to make a circle with and entrance but my clay ( and large chunks of limestone) soil wrecked my back halfway through.  I'm currently around 15 inches above grade with the layer of chopped leaves and straw I just added. My goal is to reach at least 6 foot in height.  Next I'll add a layer of manure followed by more leaves and straw before I add the final layers of compost and soil.

 I assume that it's too late to plant a cover crop (zone 6b, Kansas City,  MO) so my question is do I add soil now and try to control erosion by other methods or wait until early spring to add my soil (and then cover crop)?

Any help would be appreciated.  I've included a couple pics minus the current layer of leaves and straw.


Thanks,  Ryan

Hi Ryan. Welcome to permies.

I would add the soil now. That will give the biological inhabitants of the soil some extra time to start doing their job improving the soil quality. That activity slows down in winter but doesn't stop entirely. Fava beans might be a good cover crop for you to try. A thick blanket of leaves does a reasonable job of minimizing erosion plus it feeds the worms!

I would also add the soil and mulch now. I tried fava beans as a cover crop this year and they did great. They were sold for sprouting at my health food store.  The grocery store can be a great place to find cheap cover crops like 15 bean soup. I had great results this year growing radishes as a cover crop as well (still green in zone 5-5.5). I would throw some cheap cover crop seeds down now because you are not out much if it doesn't work. Many of the seeds that fail to sprout this year will come up in the spring.

Thank you Mike and Justin for the input.  I will follow your advice.  

Justin Gerardot wrote:The grocery store can be a great place to find cheap cover crops like 15 bean soup.

Wait a minute.... you're telling me I can buy a bag of beans from the grocery store and plant them? I had no idea...

Ryan Cockrum wrote:

Wait a minute.... you're telling me I can buy a bag of beans from the grocery store and plant them? I had no idea...

oh yes! and if you sprout them before you plant you can be 100% sure they're viable. Also lentils, wheat berries, whole peas for soup (not split peas!), sorghum are all things I buy from the store and plant. Depending on where you are and whether grains have to be fumigated or irradiated I imagine this might have some effect, which is why I suggest doing a test soak-and-sprout, but I've never had that happen. Heck, I'm growing goji berries sprouted from the supermarket.