Build a Hugelkultur - PEP BB gardening.straw.hugelkultur

I built a hugelkultur at Allerton Abbey!  For the BB20 event, Opalyn, Penny, Beau and I made our hugels in a row.  Mine was on the left.  We marked them out with white stakes.  In one or two pictures there are some stakes further to the left of my hugel which were optimistic but eventually abandoned.

The contents were clay-ey soil, punky logs laying around and cut off pieces from the junk pole fence.  The wood was all conifer and came from within 100' of the hugel.  The mulches were mullein, trimmed up lower tree boughs, old hay bales and sawdust.  

The seeds are:
Austrian winter peas (n)
alfalfa (n)
black locust (n)
tendril peas (n)
Sepp Holzer grain
buckwheat
hazelnuts
peach
sunflower
vetch (n)
golden clover (n)
yellow blossom sweet clover (n)
sunchokes
comfrey.  The comfrey is the stick-like thing you can see sticking out of the bucket and I got 5 pieces from it.

We did the trench on both sides approach using the excavator.  The tape measure in the end is set to 7' and held up with a shovel.  One of my final photos from the same spot as the before picture was slightly blocked by the excavator so I included another final picture from a nearby spot.  FYI the stump that is at the edge of my hugel is about at the midpoint of the 12 feet.  The white stakes sometimes had to be removed before they disappeared but in the final picture you can see my two stakes.

Hugeling in a blizzard! There's nothing quite like tucking in seeds on a freshly mounded bed for a wee winter snooze. Hope I get to see what this'll do out at Allerton Abbey.

My 12' is conjoined with Mike's 24'. It is demarcated in most the pics by stakes or a change in mulch appearance. Final size is a couple feet larger than the requirements in each dimension to accomodate the curve and satisfy the demands of the site.

Dug and built with the excavator.
Seeds comprised of (in order of greatest volume, Nitrogen fixers comprising well over 80% of seed count):

Yellow Blossom Clover (n)
Crimson Clover (n)
Golden Clover (n)
Giant Clover (n)
Alfalfa
Buckwheat
Chickling Vetch
Lamb's Quarters (mulch combo)
Mullein (mulch combo)
Holzer Grain (exactly 40 seeds)
Austrian Winter Peas (n)
Black Locust (n)
Peach
Hazelnut

3 Sunchoke tubers
3 Comfrey root cuttings

Mulches:
Conifer branches from site logging and trimming
Straw from the Abbey
Sawdust
Mullein
Lamb's Quarters

For a more detailed account of my adventures in building this Hügelkultur, see My first Hügelkultur adventure for PEP [Log].  

To Certify That the BB is Completed:
- Two pics of the site before the work is started with the intended location marked out.
      o probably marked with wood laid on the ground that will soon be buried!



- Three pics of three different stages of construction - showing the contents of the hugelkultur




- One pic when the hugelkultur is completely built but not planted or mulched showing it is 7 feet tall (1x3 board is 7 ft long in photo)


- Pics of all the stuff about to be planted












- A paragraph or two of what wood was used and where it came from, what was planted, what mulches were applied and anything else interesting

This Hügelkultur project meets the requirements for the Sand, Straw, and Wood badges combined (6 ft + 12 ft + 24 ft = 42 ft) at over 50 ft long by over 10 ft wide by at least 7 ft high - not counting the foot I dug down on each side to help stabilize the outermost bottom logs. I used mostly wind blown Big Leaf Maple and Red Alder logs that were already partially rotten from laying on the ground nearby for a few years. Some birch got added as well. The soil came from three nearby mounds formed a few years ago when I scraped up areas taken over by blackberries and then let the mounds decompose.  I applied at least 4 kinds of mulch including stemmy hay, hardwood sawmill shavings, Big Leaf Maple leaves, pea husks, skunk cabbage leaves, and lawn clippings for mulch.  I planted using polycultures at least a dozen different species, mostly nitrogen fixers, including:
1) several apple cores
2) 12 sunchokes (3 for the Sand BB, 3 for Straw BB, 6 for Wood BB)
3) 12 comfrey (3 for the Sand BB, 3 for Straw BB, 6 for Wood BB)
4) Buttercup squash
5) October beans
6) garlic
7) shallots
8) cilantro
9) Delicata squash
10) black corn
11) date pits
12) Sepp grains (12 for the Sand BB, 40 for Straw BB, 100 for Wood BB)
13) Lummi Island Wildflower Mix  (Common Camas, Yarrow, Many-leaved Lupine, Fireweed, Woolly Sunflower, Pearly Everlasting, Douglas Aster)
14) White beans
15) Golden Bantam sweet corn
16) Vanessa Dwarf Blue Curled Kale
17) Bush Blue Lake garden bean
18) Zinnia
19) Viva la Dulce Vita Blend Basil
20) Easy Peasy Pea
21) Connecticut Field Pumpkin
22) Fingerling potatoes
23) Regular potatoes
24) Nettle
25) Snow berry
26) Salmon berry
27) Elderberry
28) Foxglove
29) Willow
30) 11 more apples
31) Crimson clover
32) Medium Red clover

- Two pics of the site after the work is complete from the same two locations as the beginning pictures.
      o include some people or something in the pics so we can gauge that the size is probably correct  

Here is my submission for the Gardening - Straw - Build a Big Hugelkultur BB.

The final hugelkultur bed is at least 7 feet tall, 7 feet wide, and 12 feet long.

The wood came from trees that were felled earlier this year at the Abbey along with some smaller trees that I felled during the BB20 event held in April (2022).  All the wood was coniferous.

Interesting Addition: Beau brought over a couple of buckets of mushroom-infused wood shavings.  I added one bucket to the top layer of wood before burying it.

Mulch: Straw, Pine needles and short branches, Mullen leaves, comfrey leaves

Seed/plant at least a dozen different species: Peas, Summer Alfalfa, Vetch, Abbey Clover, Omega-3 Chicken Forage Blend, Tillage Radish, Red Kuri Squash, Hairy Vetch, Winter Rye, Tenoril Peas from the Abbey, Mustard, Spring Green Mature Mix, Field Peas, Oats, Chickling Vetch, three comfrey plants, four sunchokes, Sepp Holzer grains

Required Photos:
 - Two pics of the site before the work is started with the intended location marked out.
       o marked with wood laid on the ground that will soon be buried!
 - Three pics of three different stages of construction - showing the contents of the hugelkultur
 - One pic when the hugelkultur is completely built but not planted or mulched showing it is 7 feet tall
 - Pics of all the stuff about to be planted
 - Two pics of the site after the work is complete from the same two locations as the beginning pictures.
       o include some people or something in the pics so we can gauge that the size is probably correct  

Hi, so i'm trying to put my mind at ease about hitting the badge requirements for making this hugel. I think i've made up my mind that since there's so much wood at the site where i'm constructing it, and it was already in a pile around 18' long, i should go for a 7x7x18 hugel, attempting to get the BBs for a 6' and a 12' hugel at the same time. I want to make sure i have my planning right for that, so i’m looking to double-check a few points with whoever can help.

1. Because both the 6’ and 12’ hugel BBs call for 3 sunchokes and 3 comfrey, i will plant 6 of each over the length of the hugel to get credit. Similarly, i’ll plant over 52 seeds of the Holzer grain, because they call for 12 and 40 respectively.

2. Both BBs call for at least 12 different species to be planted. It seems like i could therefore have a total of 9 species outside the three listed above, planted out over the whole hugel – because each section would still have 12 total species. Still, i plan on getting more like 20 species in there. Will that be fine? Am i misinterpreting and i’ll actually need 24 to satisfy both BB requirements?

3. Similarly, both BBs call for 4 types of mulch. I assume i still just need 4? And if they are leaves, wood chips, chopped down perilla, and chopped down tall grass, that shouldn’t be an issue right?

4. Regarding Comfrey - do you think i’ll be able to break the plant pictured below into 6 parts, and would that be likely to satisfy the requirements?

5. I have a wildflower seed blend which lists around a dozen species on the back. I don’t want to boost my species count that much with it, but what if i list just 3 species from it on my species list, does that seem fair?

6. Any drawbacks i should know about to trying out these cheap grocery-store pinto beans as one of my species?

Here’s my prospective species list, i would welcome any comments on it too:

- Comfrey
- Sunchokes
- Sepp Holzer grain
- Red clover
- White clover
- Hairy vetch
- Some alfalfa
- Field Peas (Austrian winter peas)
- Fava beans
- Snap peas
- Pinto beans
- Lavender
- Rosemary
- Kale
- Sunflowers
- Zinnias
- Coneflowers
- Tomatoes
- Summer squash
- Wildflower blend

I think the answer to all your questions and assumptions is "yes, you're good to go".  That comfrey might not be splittable into 6 pieces, it depends on how big the roots are.  I think a pinkie sized piece of root can be broken into 2 pieces but any tinier than that is risking a failure to grow.

Thank you Mike! I appreciate the reassurance. Noted about the comfrey, i'll plan on getting at least one more plant

Hi! I'm finally getting around to submitting the documentation of the hugel i built (and will continue to build upon) this spring. Here's a link to the point in my build-progress thread where the final product can be seen, if any extra context is desired: https://permies.com/t/212487/Wood-dirt-pile-Hugelkultur-ongoing#1820747

Here are the points from the certification requirements, and a little commentary on each:

- Two pics of the site before the work is started with the intended location marked out.
Note that my hugel is a v shape, one leg of which is 12'. The other leg is still in progress. In the pre-build photos you'll see the full v with a tape measure indicating the shape, but only the left side is relevant to this badge certification

- Three pics of three different stages of construction - showing the contents of the hugelkultur
First you'll see a pic of the hugest log i used, after moving it into position. The first layer of logs with leaves and clay-ey dirt filling the gaps is visible.
Next is a view of a nearly full-height section, showing the switch to perpendicular-to-ridge stacking i made after hearing that recommended on a Wheaton Labs podcast episode. Also shows some of the organic material layered in, and my system of support sticks.
Last i show that same section after i had layered in a lot of smaller sticks, before adding some more organic material and then the soil layer. Again, i was lucky to hear a suggestion at the right time and this layer came out better for it.

- One pic when the hugelkultur is completely built but not planted or mulched showing it is 7 feet tall
Two pics were necessary to show the height in my case, rolling solo. The first shows were i marked 7' on a pole with red, and the second shows a second pole hitting that red mark when laid across the top of the hugel. A third picture is included to give a view of the completed but not planted hugel, with me - 5'9.5" - reaching towards the top to give another sense of the height.

(- pics to prove its length and width)
This isn't specifically in the requirements but i've got the pics to show it. One shows that poles laying up tight on either side of the hugel are at least 7' apart, judging by the red mark. The other shows that the tape measure pulled between two poles at either end of the ridge measures at just under 15'. I included a third pic to show the two-pole setup from afar so there's no worries about funny-business. Yes the back pole is leaning in that pic, but if you think about it, that kind of lean, with a measurement of 15', implies an even longer hugel.

- Pics of all the stuff about to be planted
Pictured are 3 comfrey plants, more than enough Sepp Holzer grains, 10 sunchokes, a cover crop mix*, red clover, hairy vetch, ladino clover, snap peas, bush beans, zinnia & coneflower, chard, squash, radish, corn, and wildflower blend. I included a picture of all the empties too.

- A paragraph or two of what wood was used and where it came from, what was planted, what mulches were applied and anything else interesting
  My wood was all present on site in a messy pile because of a past logging operation using this area to cut the ends off some logs. The dirt that ended up topping the hugel was also from right there amongst the logs, i started all this by scooping it all out into a dirt pile. The smaller sticks were all there too, and the organic materials i layered in were from the grassy area that the hugel shares this landing with.
  The things i planted were picked up at various places in the months i was working on this. I hope to harvest peas and beans at some point, and am excited to see a few healthy squash plants starting on the ridgeline. I also planted tomato and pepper seedlings in the lowest sunniest part of the hugel, where they have the feel of a typical garden setup like i'm used to.
  The mulches i used were 1) dried native grasses 2) dried invasive perilla 3) dried invasive sericea lespedeza 4) fresh invasive sericea lespedeza 5) fresh mullein leaves. They can be seen in a pic below.

- Two pics of the site after the work is complete from the same two locations as the beginning pictures.
That should wrap it up, i hope


* Flax - Carter
  Clover - Yellow Sweet
  Clover - White Dutch
  Clover - Medium Red
  Clover - Crimson
  Lentils - Indianhead
  Millet - White Proso
  Vetch - Hairy
  Vetch - Common
  Cowpeas - Red Ripper
  Buckwheat - Mancan
  Pea - Forage