Jt Franklin

Concerns about lead is not a phobia, nor is it overblown. Lead, it's toxicity and harmfulness to people and animals is not really debatable.  All heavy metals are harmful and lead is no exception. There is no safe exposure level for lead or mercury in children and the level allowed in adults is very, very low.  Lead is insidious in how it affects you since it can harm every single organ in the body, but since the symptoms can look like many other things it is not always diagnosed correctly.  Lead decreases cognitive function in both children and adults.  High blood pressure, kidney damage, reproductive disfunction all can be caused by lead.  All these things are facts and not meant to scare but to inform.  Don't be scared, be smart.

Now, most everyone has had lead exposure one way or the other, so everyone had a base-line lead level in their blood.  However, if you have a house with lead paint either inside or outside you are without question going to have higher levels in your blood - particularly if it is peeling.  No one can see that as a good thing.  Lead removal is not in any way a job for DIYers.  You will hurt yourself or others or the environment one way or the other.

Hi Michelle,

I put in a small Hugel similar to yours out here in Oak Hill last year. I used old logs from my yard and my Dad's property in Dripping - mostly live oak. It did pretty well for the first year and now in the second year I think it's even better. I am lengthening the bed to create a swale that will capture some runoff when it rains to help instill more water into the bed.

Mine is not on a shelf per se, but it is on really rocky ground downhill from the house. There is some soil mixed with limestone "plates" and gravel, but I add turkey compost to beef it up. I dig (read pickaxe) down about 6" and then add the logs, screened soil and compost. I stack more logs to end up with a bed about the same height as yours. I also have some drip irrigation lines across the top of the Hugel to keep things moist when it really gets dry. I don't think this can be avoided, but it certainly was better than a plain old raised bed sans wood. I did mulch with shredded Oak leaves and some grass clippings to help keep the soil in place. I feel like the soil moisture was more constant last summer due to the wood holding water. The tomatoes and peppers were happy - I made lots of salsa!