Back to Eden Gardening and Hugelkulture and other non-conventional garden methods

[lazy gardener]

If you do a trench, save that soil to go on top of the HK. I didn't have that option since we were paying to have land cleared, and earth work done. So I just started piling the dead wood at the base of the "hill" and started back filling with more dead wood till I got a bit above the finished grade on the east side of it. Covered that with weedy garden debris (which normally would have been left in the garden for the chickens to work on over non growing season) then layered up a bit with leaves, old hay, grass clippings, a few loads of top soil and some nice finished compost. Definitely not thick enough, but hoping it will last the season, when I can add to it in the fall. I am finding that with the huge brush piles that were generated, plus the open voids in my poorly constructed HK, I have a wood chuck that needs to be tended to. Hubby also saw a couple of rabbits yesterday. The lower area is creating a perfect habitat for those munchers.

 

[Greenthumb83]

Ahhh, I was wondering about that. We have ground squirrels for days out here! They are less of a nuisance around the house since we got cats, but they are still being a bother in the garden. They will definitely be an issue if we mound anything up. They love that. They are trying to dig a home in my newest zucchini hill. I just found that this morning. I only planted the seeds a few days ago, so hopefully they will make it. Those things drive me nuts.

Did you start that last fall or this spring? I can see it settling a lot over time. You need to have your DH help you post pics.

 

[lazy gardener]

I started it early last summer. It's slow going, cause, I'm doing 98% of the work by myself. But, that's ok. I just do what I can, when I can. I can't work when it's hot out, and have been on a medical restriction from doing heavy labor, using chain saw and such, and now it's too hot to work on it. But fall is coming! Cheaper than a gym membership.

 

[Greenthumb83]

I'd say you're doing pretty darn good!

I love to hear it when a woman is accomplishing something like this. I am the type to never accept not being able to do something. I always learn or find a way. My DH knows this. When I want to do something like this HK, he might as well hop on this train, otherwise, I'll be out there doing it myself lol. If I didn't have a toddler right now, I'd be doing more, but that time will come. I will be missing her keeping me from my work this time next year lol. She is a great little gardener already. She walks through picking everything she can, including the heads off of my marigolds. She learned she could eat things when the spinach was still on and absolutely loved it. She sat and ate a whole spinach plant on day! Now I have to be careful that she doesn't eat other leaves, like tomatoes!

Fall is going to be here before we know it. It will be time for canning soon! We are enjoying a nice cool down. High of 80 is such a blessing after weeks of just under 100 degrees every day. Wonderful holiday weekend.

 

[lazy gardener]

Yes, there are seasons to life, just like seasons to the year. I'm rushing to get as much as I can before this old body makes me stop!

I had the same difficulty with my grand dtr. (she lived with me until age 7) She was used to being able to eat stuff in the garden, so... I'd catch her just before she stuffed a rhubarb leaf into her mouth. I remember my grand son grabbing a trowel early one spring when he was about 3 years old. I started following him. He went into the garden. When I asked him what he was going to do, he looked at the trowel, looked around in the garden, and turned back to me with a puzzled look on his face. "I want a tomato!" He remembered the juicy cherry tomatoes from the fall before! He was 6 years old before he figured out that most people eat white potatoes instead of pink ones. (My favorite potato is

I have so many ideas, and so little time and energy! Next project is to build a garden sink/processing area. I want to keep all of the soil out of my kitchen, and keep it in the garden where it belongs. It will have a rubbermaid dish pan on one side, and a hardware cloth "counter on the other side. A vertical support to hook the hose to. Hopefully, I'll figure out how to hook the hose up so it will be directed in a faucet fashion, instead of spraying me in the face. A couple of buckets underneath to catch rinse water and plant debris should finish the project.

When it comes to building stuff, if I have the strength, I'm pretty good to go. Hubby is the designer though. I come up with the idea, and run it by him before starting the project. He gets tired of my never ending projects. But, he has gobs of patience... usually just shakes his head, and says... "you know where the tools are!" Electrical... not me! With incubator builds, I do all but electrical, and he does that.

 

[GardenNut]

Get LG! I'm subscribing! As of last week, I sold my current home and am buying my retirement property, a gorgeous log home on 6 mostly cleared acres in the country! The terrain is a bit rolling, but it looks like it has good drainage (maybe too good, we'll see), and it has a catfish pond used to irrigate a large nearby garden. So I'll follow along on this thread and start planning for next spring. Maybe I'll move and get settled in time to get some fall crops in. It's about 130 miles away, so it's going to be interesting orchestrating the chicken move and coop set up especially.

 

[lazy gardener]

Get LG! I'm subscribing! As of last week, I sold my current home and am buying my retirement property, a gorgeous log home on 6 mostly cleared acres in the country! The terrain is a bit rolling, but it looks like it has good drainage (maybe too good, we'll see), and it has a catfish pond used to irrigate a large nearby garden. So I'll follow along on this thread and start planning for next spring. Maybe I'll move and get settled in time to get some fall crops in. It's about 130 miles away, so it's going to be interesting orchestrating the chicken move and coop set up especially.

Sounds absolutely lovely. You can use those rolling areas to your advantage. Most likely, there will be some micro climates you can take advantage of, and you can also create some with creative planting, fencing, and placement of rocks. Is the catfish pond stocked? I'd love to have a fish pond on my property.

 

[GardenNut]

Sounds absolutely lovely.  You can use those rolling areas to your advantage.  Most likely, there will be some micro climates you can take advantage of, and you can also create some with creative planting, fencing, and placement of rocks.  Is the catfish pond stocked?  I'd love to have a fish pond on my property.  

That is one of a list questions I have for the seller! The pond currently appears to have an algae issue, even with a recirculating pump, so there may not be enough oxygen for catfish at this point. But that can be remedied!

 

[lazy gardener]

How big is this pond? I assume it is a natural or man dug in ground pond? How deep is it? You can call your local county agricultural extension agent to get some tips for natural algae control, and info re: stocking it. Tilapia survive low O2 situations, but they require warm water. You may not have the temp sufficient to raise a crop of tilapia before the weather cools. Depending on the size of it, would it be possible to put a hoop house over it to keep the temp up??? Of course that might increase the algae issue. There are ways to build pumps that would not only circulate the water, but take some of the extra nutrient out of it, to help clear the algae problem. If it's getting run off from a fertilized area, or pasture that would contribute.

 

[Greenthumb83]

Yes, there are seasons to life, just like seasons to the year. I'm rushing to get as much as I can before this old body makes me stop!

I had the same difficulty with my grand dtr. (she lived with me until age 7) She was used to being able to eat stuff in the garden, so... I'd catch her just before she stuffed a rhubarb leaf into her mouth. I remember my grand son grabbing a trowel early one spring when he was about 3 years old. I started following him. He went into the garden. When I asked him what he was going to do, he looked at the trowel, looked around in the garden, and turned back to me with a puzzled look on his face. "I want a tomato!" He remembered the juicy cherry tomatoes from the fall before! He was 6 years old before he figured out that most people eat white potatoes instead of pink ones. (My favorite potato is

I have so many ideas, and so little time and energy! Next project is to build a garden sink/processing area. I want to keep all of the soil out of my kitchen, and keep it in the garden where it belongs. It will have a rubbermaid dish pan on one side, and a hardware cloth "counter on the other side. A vertical support to hook the hose to. Hopefully, I'll figure out how to hook the hose up so it will be directed in a faucet fashion, instead of spraying me in the face. A couple of buckets underneath to catch rinse water and plant debris should finish the project.

When it comes to building stuff, if I have the strength, I'm pretty good to go. Hubby is the designer though. I come up with the idea, and run it by him before starting the project. He gets tired of my never ending projects. But, he has gobs of patience... usually just shakes his head, and says... "you know where the tools are!" Electrical... not me! With incubator builds, I do all but electrical, and he does that.

I love the idea for a sink processing area. That would be sooooo handy. It would also save a lot of steps. Our garden is a good walk around the house and up a hill. Cleaning fruits and veggies inside and then walking the waste back out to the compost pile by the garden seems silly if we can do all the processing right there. Awesome.

You and your hubby sound like a great team. "He gets tired of my never ending projects." Sounds like mine lol. He is very patient also though.
We got a good start on piling up brush last week for future HK beds, but are having to take a break right now for a family matter. Meanwhile, we have gotten a ton of rain. Everything in the garden is loving it. Pole beans are on and bush beans shouldn't be too far behind them. Blooms on watermelon and cucumber.