hugelkultur thingy...

[taff]

Started the day before yesterday, pulled up the weed suppressant fabric, and the stones, removed all the little balls of bindweed and couch grass roots from underneath.
Toook off the top layer of turf from in front of the previously gravelly bit, laid down all the wood [almost] that I've been hoarding and not using, including any rotted bits, like old trellis, a couple of fence posts, and old step ladder and the bit of scaffold plank that was between the gravelly area and the grass until I kicked it down.
I mashed in grass clippings I begged from the neighbour and let it rot for a couple of weeks in bags [not on purpose, I just hadn't got round to building the bed yet], pushing it into holes, and also used a few bags of destined for the compost bin bits in there.
Then it was covered with just pulled up pumpkin leaves, courgette plants, old tomato plants, the contents of a bag of leaves, and a bag of wood chippings I collected from when they cut down the trees to build a road into an estate....also a few small pots of compost, that were still attached to some of the smaller tom plants used. Also used, going to seed lettuce, and the summer raspberry canes.

[taff]

Then the turves were broken apart, all the couch grass and silverleaf roots were pulled out, then squashed onto the sides and all over as much as posible.
Then I added the contents of the tumbler, and a bag of compost from the heap.
There's a bit of tidying left to do and i haven't got photos of what it looks like now, so I'll take more tomorrow.
It's about 8ft by 4ft by 3ft ish high at the moment. Yes, the bed is wonky, I meant it to curve round slightly because there'll be more curves going in after...

[veggiechicken]

Hi Taff, I'm interested to hear what you make of this. I've just bought Sepp Holzer's Permaculture but its difficult to relate my garden to the side of an Austrian mountain. Have been saving my prunings though with a view to creating something!

[oldie]

Could be a contender for the Turner prize.

[Zenithtb]

Interesting how we both added 'anything organic' first... Maybe I do know a little about what I'm doing

[taff]

last two, first after compost etc added, second after mowing the grass, and throwing that on top too. Will leave it till spring before planting to let it settle. Have also left openings in the back end of it in case anything wants to over winter in there. Found a grown up frog when I was building it...

[snohare]

Ok, I'll bite, what is this "hugelkultur" thingie ?
I have never even heard of this. Do I need to start a new gardening library in German ?

[veggiechicken]

Roughly translated it means mound culture. Try this:
The Art and Science of Making a Hugelkultur Bed - Transforming Woody Debris into a Garden Resource Permaculture Research Institute

[planetologist]

Err, I don't want to put a damper on your project, taff, but some of that wood looks like it might be treated, as in chromated copper arsenate. Unhealthy heavy metals.

[Potstubsdustbins]

That depends on how old the wood is nasties in wood treatment have been banned in this country for some years now.

Colin

[taff]

as far as i know, there are maybe two bits of what could be pressure treated wood, in the form of fence post type things, the rest is unvarnished, untreated wood.
I could have either burnt it, or let it rot, so i added them instead of burning because all the other wood will rot very quickly, or comparatively speaking compared to a thick log round, quickly, i.e. within 3 years, so they should, possibly, theoretically, give it slightly more staying together power [can you tell i'm shooting wildly in the dark here? ]

[veggiechicken]

as far as i know, there are maybe two bits of what could be pressure treated wood, in the form of fence post type things, the rest is unvarnished, untreated wood.
I could have either burnt it, or let it rot, so i added them instead of burning because all the other wood will rot very quickly, or comparatively speaking compared to a thick log round, quickly, i.e. within 3 years, so they should, possibly, theoretically, give it slightly more staying together power [can you tell i'm shooting wildly in the dark here? ]

Yes!! Oops. Message too short so YES again!!!

[taff]

gee.....thanks.....

[veggiechicken]

Well, you did ask - and it seemed polite to reply!

[taff]

I think I'll make another one somewhere, to use up the rest of this years compostable debris, because I want to move the compost heap before next year so i can plant 4 trees along the back of the fence. I hope this doesn't annoy the slow worm population too much, best give them somewhere warm to play.....
This means moving the greenhouse too unfortunately....