kara mia

Brilliant!!! I've seen some stuff re hugel-style approach in pots. One person was comparing vertical to horizontal placement of the wood elements, and observing the wicking effects, like you were telling me about for my beloved stump, which was interesting...vertical was winning. But you're one step further, using the "dirt to be" materials (rather than the bagged dirt it became). And love the use of the fibrous roots as a filter!!! It's also reminding me a bit of the lazy-lasagne, where the sod is flipped so you have this fibrousy//soily layer closer to the top for planting in. Whether we choose or are forced to grow in pots, this is great info, thanks for the share, it adds to our toolkit for incorporating principles no matter the situation or space (says the one who maybe micro hugels with twigs and salad trimmings in bed edges when no one is looking, hehehehe)

I am so grateful for everyone's input...and for taking the time to share your thoughts and experiences...Oh, and for the apple, Yum and Thankyou!

Dale - Thank you for the more than kind invitation, I'll certainly touch base if I'm in the area, what you're up to sounds amazing. And BiG. Appreciate your wicking wand wisdom, this is a different stump for me since she is in full sun.

But OHgodz peeps she's a beauty, and apparently been here for many years...she's crumbling into spongy bits, revealing secret stashes of stump dirt. The neighbours must think I'm insane as I exclaim you gorgeous thing, show me more, haha.

Jewell, Tim, thanks for your suggestions and support,,,been a while since i had garden space, am like a kid in a candy store,,,,mix a little vision, practical application, and nature's inclination, something cool's bound to happen, even if it's riddled with boo-boos.

Judith, thank you for the link to the other discussion. As I explore this yard, I am finding some kind of fruit tree volunteers, so that will be interesting reading for sure. Your creation sounds divine...and raspberries with chocolate mint...be still my heart! Since I've basically been gifted or rescued this set of stuff at once, I'm feeling they are saying some kind of proximity, please ( I'm a little weird that way ). Maybe as we radiate out from the stump out the raspies will be happy on a fringe of the ring, lol. Gotta luv that furred and feathered labour, today i had to ask the squirells, hey darlins, are you planting those nuts for me or thee

David, that is a mighty fine cabbage, indeed, thanks for the pic. How about stump spuds, radishes, carrots oh my!

Am off to water my baby, dream and dig a bit more ... oooo and snag a christmas tree that obviously missed last year's chipping service. THanks again for the welcome, inspiration and suggestions.

THank you John and Dale for your speedy replies, ideas and advice!
Oh, i had the vision of squash flowing out of this, but alas, missed the squash boat for this area, unless i wanted to play with nursery rejects, lol. Have been saving grounds and sourcing chips, YaY...was even given some chard, kale, peas, carrot, and corn salad seeds to try small late season plantings in other spots of this yard, so perhaps my stump can be part of that. A little of this and that here and there and observe who is happiest where. If nothing else I'll get extra greens. I adore Salal and O-grape, am keeping my eyes peeled for volunteers And yes, i wondered about a kind of Keyhole, too, thanks for mentioning that....Once the landlord said sure, have at the stump i went into what can i do right away, now - today, hahaha. I will pause and muse. Maybe.

And pardon...if i went with the fill/cover and do a little fall planting, were you also including sticking the baby blueberries around nowish, or holding them in pots till thing stew and settle a little more?

Thanks again, you guys

My research on incorporating permaculture and hugel-ish elements in urban settings keeps leading me to wonderful threads in this community. So am signing up and asking for a little input. I'm renting in Vancouver, BC. Limited resources at the moment, but landlord and roomie are offering some space and supplies for my experiments, as long as it looks decent, and i do the work.

My Project..."The Stump"
She's about 3 1/2 ft diameter. Full sun location. On a gentle southern slope, with more bark exposed in some spots than others.Time has already hollowed nearly a foot deep leaving walls. Around the stump is easily liftable dry lawn grass plus some volunteers like holly, hazelnut and a dagger bush from other parts of the yard.

I was originally thinking of playing with hugel-meets-lasagna-meets-composting inside the stump and leaving the outside exposed to watch nature do her thing. I've read lots of tips here about working in and over stumps depending on the situation and goal.

THing is...I have just rescued 1/2 dozen dwarf blueberry bushes, some strawberries, a raspberry and a mini pine.....And the landlord has given me a bit of organic soil that happens to be suitable for acidic plants and raised beds. Seems the Fae are conspiring, cuz I can't get the idea of a "Berry RIng" around the stump out of my head, using the exposed outer trunk as a back wall for a bit of a raised bed or planted pockets...using clippings coffee grounds, twigs and needles and this new bit o dirt with some rocks to steady the slope. THen either planting in the top too, or using it as a small hidden yard waste composter.

So I am wondering if this sounds doable in general, or if experience says just cover the whole thing. And Specifically, i am debating whether i should just fork the grass, flip it over and move it about to create more depth and level the grade, dig 'down, or just work on top of it....and wondering how far from the stump plants should be so they dont get too disturbed as the stump breaks down.

Any tips or advice from seasoned stumpers would be so appreciated!
Kara

attempting to attach a couple pics from me exploring the area