Why I need the hugelkultur.

[janedoe]

Just part of the reason I need to do a hugelkultur. I have two more downed trees out back as well and so much other stuff. My plan is to put it in a strip down the center of the field. Lots of digging in my future but my rototiller should help out quite a bit.

[Mr Kleb]

Can the rototiller can get down six inches, eight inches, a foot-ish? Can you relatively easily pile the soil toward one side or on one side of the trench, move the logs into the trench, then backfill? If that will be a naturalized area, maybe you can plant blackberries, raspberries, currants?

[janedoe]

Can the rototiller can get down six inches, eight inches, a foot-ish? Can you relatively easily pile the soil toward one side or on one side of the trench, move the logs into the trench, then backfill? If that will be a naturalized area, maybe you can plant blackberries, raspberries, currants?

We have a cleared acre and a huge rototiller that we've never used. I just mowed it down to dirt and the rototiller is in the shop for a tuneup. We also have a wagon to take the wood down. It will be slow but steady. I'm thinking a couple of hours every evening. At the very least, the rototiller can get it down to four inches and then I can dig out the rest. There's a youtube video though that shows a guy digging an entire trench with a small tiller by doing it in layers. Hopefully, I can do two passes side by side, dig it out then go again.

At the moment, I'm thinking of going in a straight line down the middle of the field, leaving space on either end just because of where the light is best. I need to do some more research though. Some people apparently do mazes and I'm not sure why.

[Mr Kleb]

Sounds like you have a good plan.

[brownie trout]

Will be interested to hear how this goes. We have a lot of downed trees on our property and I would be willing to try this!

[janedoe]

Will be interested to hear how this goes. We have a lot of downed trees on our property and I would be willing to try this!

It really looks promising, doesn't it? Just letting it sit in place is such a waste of good organic material.

[MontananDakota]

I"m coming in late to this to this-we have a lot of down trees too. What are you planning??

[janedoe]

I"m coming in late to this to this-we have a lot of down trees too. What are you planning??

This is what I'm working with. It's about an acre. There's brush on the left and it's essentially woods that I'm starting to clean up then that tree on the right which is very unhappy needs to come down but that will probably be firewood for the house. I'm gathering up the brush and rotting logs, etc. Left is south so my best light comes in on the right.

The plan is to put in the hugelcultur straight down the field about twenty feet off the property line. This takes advantage of the light and makes it problematic for the neighbors to keep encroaching on our property, especially if I build it up with brush after burying the wood. They were good last year after our attorney sent them a cease and desist letter but they have a very short attention span so this is timely. This will be our "fence" and it's very useful beyond that. A couple of years in, I can plant. My understanding from other sources on the internet is that potatoes do very well in this type of environment for the first few years.

I got a call from the rototiller people just now and I'll have that back soon. It'll be slow but steady, I think.