I have been building hugelkultur beds for many years (since the mid 70's) and even before I knew what they were called and before I even heard the word hugelkultur. I did remember reading in the wonderful book "1491" by Charles Mann where he describes the indigenous people in the Amazon digging 10 foot pits and throwing logs, compost and any kind of organic matter and covering it up this creating over eons huge expanses of ultra rich acres of land for their Brazil nuts, mangos and myriad fruit grown in uneven mixed non-rows. Hence the experts were fooled into thinking these discovered lands were untouched wilderness (and not fruit farms).
After building my house with recycled timber and boards from a 150 year old farm house given to me and disassembled over the winter of 1976 I found myself with loads of leftover hand hewn logs and boards. Taking the 3 bottom plow east and then west I had a ditch down through a thin soiled field. After laying down the wood scraps I plowed it shut and allowed it to rot.
Most of the time though I practice hugelkultur in smaller ways. Burying the contents of the compost bin, scraps of wood from the wood shop, tomato vines from the summer along with the rotten poles-dig a pit and throw em in along with weeds, old mulch and anything that rots. As long as it's 6" below the soil you are good to go. It all rots eventually and your soil will come alive. The microbes will do the work-just add water and voila-bloomin super soil!
