Hi, I just moved to a 10 acre property and need some advice on starting a compost pile. I have a lot of cardboard, 20 large oak and maple trees that were cut down 6 months ago for a septic site, and 2 acres of tall weeds/grass. I plan on using most of the trees for firewood. My wife would like the cardboard gone and the weeds cut down. I do plan on starting a garden next year as well as getting some chickens.

I am interested in sheet mulching, and possibly hugel mounds, and am either going to rent or buy a wood chipper.

Any advice would be appreciated.
Thank you

If you have that much material, I think Toby Hemenway's Bomb Proof Sheet-Mulching method may be ideal for your situation.


Also, another member of permies- Chris Dean- posted about a great way of combining hugelkultur, raised beds, and sheet mulching here.

If slugs are a recurring problem, chickens and ducks are a nice way of handling the situation and getting food out of it, too.



For hugelkultur, I think Paul Wheaton's Hugelkultur Article is useful.

If you desire to do composting with any of the materials, you could split some beers and urine while doing the drunken composting method: