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Summary
part 1 of a 3 part podcast
Smackdown 29: Hügelkultur!
Paul thanks Andreas for creating the images they're using, and Beau and Liz and Samantha for wrangling the
project.
Hügelkultur is basically making a
raised bed from
wood and soil. The soil will exceed 30-40% organic matter, and good soil makes good food. The Achilles heel of Hügelkultur is it doesn't last long in a hot climate, but it's brilliant in a cold climate. It's good for
carbon sequestration and gives you double the growing area of a flat bed, which is great for small places.
Paul thinks that
Sepp Holzer may have invented the idea of putting wood into hügelkulturs. The best wood to use is what you have close by. Logs are better than sticks, lumber can be used if it's not treated with toxic stuff. Some sticks are good near the outsides to add structure. Woodchips or sawdust will immobilize too much of the nitrogen, so shouldn't be used.
Plowing and tilling
land reduces organic matter, it's done because monocrops on flat land are easy to manage. However diversity is preferable to homogeneity. The top of the hügelkultur is drier, the bottom is moister, one side is warmer since the the hügelkultur can make a sun-scoop. By creating this diversity, the
roots begin to mingle.
Root exudate from some plants can
feed others.
People like to try to combine hügelkultur with
lasagna gardening. The layers of organic stuff go anaerobic and can create a waterproof gley layer which prevents
water getting to the lower parts. Instead put various material in splotches, to add to diversity and prevent the gley problem. You can put a basketball-sized blob of good soil inside a new hügelkultur, keeping it in one piece to seed soil growth.
Paul prefers to avoid using cardboard or paper as you can't really tell what's in it plus it can create a waterproof layer if it doesn't break down. However, other people do use card or paper.
People say they have no soil so they can't build a hügelkultur. However you can start with dirt: Paul did this at base camp and now it's a success. The best way to make dirt into soil is a thick layer of mulch which will rot down. Soil builds faster if you can supply irrigation. Never use purchased
compost or topsoil, as it contains persistent herbicides, which have a half-life of 7-10 years.
Relevant Threads
Hugelkultur forum
giant hugelkultur (12 feet tall) at basecamp
concerns with using cardboard/newspaper as a mulch
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This podcast was made possible thanks to:
Dr. Hugh Gill Kultur
Kyle Neath
Bill Crim
anonymous
Chris Sugg
Kerry JustTooLazy
Jocelyn Campbell
Bill Erickson
Sasquatch
G Cooper
Dominic Crolius
Penny McLoughlin
Mehron Kugler
Pasquale DeAngelis
havokeachday
Julia Winter, world's slowest mosaic artist
Greg Martin
Mark
Sean Benedict
Rita Bliden
Dana Martin
Candace Dahlk
Keith Kuhnsman
Leanne
Eric Tolbert
Nick DePuy
Nathan Hale
Opalyn
Rose
Polly Jayne Smyth
Todd Gerardot
Katie Young
Ivar Vasara
Brent Lawson
Weston prestage
Candice Crawford
Chris Holtslag
Song Zheng
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