Greetings all,
Tim and Deneen Foelker are building a hugelkulture in their Santa Clara yard on Saturday, May13th, 1:00-4:00 PM. As such, there will be an open garden. If anyone would like to come watch, hang out, help out, or learn more about composting in general, please drop by. There will be refreshments, community, plenty to explore in the garden(s), for those who want to help we have gloves, tools, and instruction.
We think we have plenty of wood and other materials for a fair-sized hugel bed, but if you still have storm-wood, or other materials that you’d like to donate to the cause I can swing by with my trailer. Just give a call, 541-689-8897, for a pick up.
P.S. If you bring an instrument there may also be jamming on the “porch” during the build. And there may be some fresh herbs to harvest and take home.
“Hugelkultur are no-dig raised beds with a difference. They hold moisture, build fertility, maximize surface volume and are great spaces for growing fruit, vegetables and herbs. Hugelkultur, pronounced [Hoo-gul-culture], means hill culture or hill mound.”
Date: Saturday, May 13th, 1:00-4:00 PM
Location:
Tim & Deneen Foelker
4792 Herman Street
Eugene, OR
541-689-8897
hugel@protechworks.com
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What is hugelkultur?
Creating a hugelkultur garden bed is a relatively simple process:
Select an area with approximately these dimensions: 6 feet by 3 feet
(Ours will be 15′ x 6′)
Gather materials for the project
:
Fallen logs, branches, twigs, fallen leaves (the “under-utilized” biomass from the site). Avoid using cedar, walnut or other tree species deemed “allopathic” (i.e., prevent competing plant growth).
Nitrogen rich material (manure or kitchen waste work well and will help to maintain a proper carbon to nitrogen ratio in the decomposing mass within the hugelkulter bed).
Top soil (enough to cover the other layers of the bed with a depth of 1 – 2”) and some mulching material (straw works well).
Lay the logs (the largest of the biomass debris) down as the first layer of the hugelkultur bed. Next, add a layer of branches, then a layer of small sticks and twigs. Hugelkultur beds work best when they are roughly 3 feet high (though this method is forgiving, and there is no fixed rule as to the size of the bed. That is where the “art” comes in!)
Water these layers well
Begin filling in spaces between the logs, twigs and branches with leaf litter, compost, manure, and kitchen scraps.
Finally, top off the bed with 1 – 2” of top soil and a layer of mulch.
The hugelkulter bed will benefit from “curing” a bit, so it is best to prepare the bed several months prior to planting time (prepare the bed in the fall for a spring planting, for example, in temperate northern climates), but hugelkultur beds can be planted immediately. Plant seeds or transplants into the hugelkulter bed as you would any other garden bed. Happy hugelkulturing!
Learn more at: https://www.permaculture.co.uk/articles/many-benefits-hugelkultur
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