At the bottom I put hugel, then compost and top soil. I did it right?
At the top, I will cover with cardboard boxes and straw.

In addition herb spiral.

Any ideas on what to plant in the spring?

Looks great to me! and like a whole lot of work and planning went into it...what do you plan to plant? Be sure to post more pictures!

and welcome to Permies, Lee!

Plan to plant: carrots, cabbage, lettuce, corn, beans, watermelon (I'm not sure if it will grow), radish, zucchini, strawberries, and some flowers (edible). All mix up.

Patch with southern exposure. Plans to divert water from the half of the roof on the house, maybe dig small pond.

And all kind of the herbs on spiral.

This is how it look before my work:

Good job Lee !

You did a great job! Has an artistic flair, I must say.

Is that a crater garden? Looks real nice either way?

James Colbert wrote:Is that a crater garden? Looks real nice either way?

Unintentionally, but it has some similarities. Patch on each side is sheltered by earth embankment, or by hedges.

Thanks you all for your support. My family thinks it doesn`t make sense

that's a lot of work - did you dig it manually?

I have recently created a raised bed with a hugelkultur-type base to do the raising (here http://www.permies.com/t/33400/forest-garden/UK-steps-forest-garden-Hampshire) and it was lots of effort to move all that earth. Yours is much bigger!

I can't really advise you on whether you did the right thing or not as I am also a beginner (but I did something similar so I hope so).

Good luck!
Paul

Yes, completely by hand. I'm young, I have a lot of strength

As for the effects of this will be known soon as winter is over and We see how things grow.

They will understand when everything is a vibrant green and tastes delicious.

Cartons are very ugly for mulching.

So I changed the design.

+ Pollinator block

Cool I like our bee block, it is simple but very durable and effective. I'll have to make one for myself.

James Colbert wrote:Cool I like our bee block, it is simple but very durable and effective. I'll have to make one for myself.

That's right, is not bad, but the next year, will do something better / more practical. Probably cane, or holes with paper tubes.

In what ways is the design not practical? It would seem to me the thick wood would act as insulation and the fact that it is just a log with holes drilled in it means you can make a lot of them quickly which is great for your solitary bee population which tends to grow a lot more slowly than say honey bees.

James Colbert wrote:In what ways is the design not practical? It would seem to me the thick wood would act as insulation and the fact that it is just a log with holes drilled in it means you can make a lot of them quickly which is great for your solitary bee population which tends to grow a lot more slowly than say honey bees.

It's easier to take them out of the reeds.



But in the blocks can be used paper - video:

With the same attention to planting that you put into preparing the site, the results are sure to be remarkable.

Ekofarming is difficult!
Snails ate all my new plants. Wind ran away leaves and "weeds" have taken over patch.
Time to learn from mistakes.
I planted garlic and onions, snails do not like them. I added a decent this year mulch.
Then will plant cherry tomatoes that have already germinate in the greenhouse.

Snails or slugs are always a problem with deep mulches initially. I solved the problem by spraying the area and my seedlings with a mix of hot pepper and garlic blended in water. Each spray will last about a week unless it rains or you use sprinklers. You only have to apply this until plants are about 6 inches tall or the weather dries out. Stacks of stones or piles of wood will also attract lizards and frogs which will help balance the eco system.

Well... A lot of struggle with snails. But yields compensates for all. Especially cool are your own herbs.

























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That looks like a successful first year garden. Good job.