At the Rooted Landscaping home garden, we had a lot of wood. Last year we had to fell several trees that risked falling onto our neighbor's homes. We hate to fell trees, but sometimes it has to be done. We now had fresh wood as well as rotting wood from previous seasons.
We chopped a fair amount for cords of firewood. We elected to use longer logs to frame out raised beds. This way we don't have to toil for years digging roots & rocks out of the soil. We can allow for natural decomposition while we grow fruits, vegetables, and herbs easily in raised beds.
Our friend Eric mentioned that he'd been playing with a German permaculture technique of hugelkultur. Rotted wood is piled in a berm shape (though I have seen creative half circles and spirals created). Organic material, like straw and leaves, is added on top of the rotting wood. Then you pile and pack loose composted soil to finish the berm. At this point, the bed is ready for planting.
The obvious benefits are making use of organic matter. Also, as the wood breaks down it creates a natural heat, which will lengthen growing seasons for plants that like warm feet. Some gardeners are able to extend growing seasons for crops like cucumbers.
Deficits are nitrogen deficiencies. Rotting wood likes to suck it up. For this reason we've planted peas in a lot of our hugelkultur beds as they do a good job at fixing nitrogen levels. We may have to add organic fertilizers.
Another problem is erosion. There's little to hold in the soil. Traditional row planting is a challenge as the new soil is loose. For this reason, I got experimental again. I tried another permaculture technique of choosing seeds of varying germination rates that produced companionable plants. I spread the seeds evenly across the beds and covered in compost. I lightly and consistently watered. Early on, there was some run-off and erosion. However, as the plants are taking root erosion is no longer a problem. It's still a work in progress, but I think that in future seasons these beds will be well-established and easy to plant.
To combat erosion, some gardeners dig a trench & layer the hugelkultur bed within. The trench method is also a good choice when planting potatoes or root crops. Obviously, trench digging is labor intensive, but so is thinning. Pick your poison!
This bed has fava beans (good little nitrogen fixers!), kale, chard, carrots, and spinach. The down-side of the permaculture "raking" planting technique is that there will be labor-intensive thinning! As the baby plants have come in I've been diligent about giving them breathing room to establish healthy root systems. This will be an on-going practice as the plants mature.
Fun side note: my friend Ally helped me thin. She kept snacking on the baby seedlings. Yum! My friend, Sonora said that she often adds thinned seedlings as salad garnishes-- the first harvest!
One of the most successful hugelkultur beds is planted with only spaghetti squash. Like most squashes, spaghetti squash loves to vine and wander. I figured the vining & rooting might help to better establish the bed. Looks like that hunch is playing out! Right now there are only a few leaves visible at the bed surface, but already water is absorbed right into the well-formed bed. The root system seems to be establishing the bed well!
Our hugelkultur beds, like all our projects, are a work in progress. We're still learning the benefits & deficits of this approach. It's so fun to let your home become creative and dynamic art. To keep your hand print in it all.
