This is a badge bit (
BB) that is part of the
PEP curriculum. Completing this BB is part of getting the sand badge in
Gardening.
Jump into the full power of
permaculture gardening. Create a garden that will
pump out food for decades with no further effort.
Hugelkultur is laid out very well in this
Richsoil Article.
To complete this BB, the minimum requirements are:
- 7 feet tall, 7 feet wide, 6 feet long
-
mulch it with at least 4 different kinds of mulch
- seed/plant at least a dozen different species
- seeds are mostly nitrogen fixers (>75% by volume)
- at least three comfrey plants
- at least three sunchokes
- at least a dozen
sepp holzer grains (currently available as a prize for anyone who reaches
BB20)
To document your completion of the BB, provide the following:
- Two pics of the site before the work is started with the intended location marked out.
- 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 proving it is 7 feet tall and 6 feet long
- 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
- Two pics of the site after the work is complete from the same two locations as the beginning pictures.
Clarifications:
- You may use an excavator or other heavy equipment if desired. (opportunity for a two-fer with the earthworks badge)
- If you dig 3 foot deep trenches on either side of the hugelkultur spot, you can use that soil, mixed with wood, to make a hugelkultur bed that is 4 feet above grade but 7 feet tall relative to the bottom of the trench. That is one way to satisfy this BB.
- if you are building on a slope, measure the height from both sides and the average needs to be 7' or higher
Build a Hugelkultur - PEP BB gardening.sand.hugelkultur
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