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