My Hugalculture Experiment

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Re: My Hugalculture Experiment

Postby pa_friendly_guy » Mon Mar 11, 2013 9:23 pm

I took advantage of the very warm days yesterday and today and worked in the garden. I moved 10 loads of stones, sub-soil and mulch yesterday and 15 loads today. It hardly looks like I made a dent in the pile of sub-soil and rocks. But a journey of a 1000 miles starts with a single step, :) so it felt good to at least get started on putting the soil and mulch back into the hole. The wood chips, logs and horse poop went in several months ago before it got so cold here. Even though it was hot here yesterday there was still some snow at the bottom of the hole. I just covered it up wit sub-soil. I figure the moisture down deep is a good thing. Since I am working from the end of the pile most of what I have moved so far is rocks. The rocks tend to roll down the pile to the edges and collect there, so I am getting 3 loads of rocks for every load of sub-soil. I am still using the ratio of 2 loads of sub-soil to 2 heaping loads of leaves. That ratio has worked well for me in the past. This excavation is a bit bigger than the last 2 years but I am keeping to the 2 loads each. It just makes a slightly smaller lift each time because of the increased square footage that I am covering. The rest of the week is back to very cold temperatures, so I will not be back out there working for a few days. The way my back feels that may be a good thing, ;) Think Spring everyone. :D
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Re: My Hugalculture Experiment

Postby pa_friendly_guy » Sat Nov 16, 2013 1:51 am

I have started to make another Hugelbed. This one is a bit smaller, 8' X 8'. I got all of the top soil dug out and into a pile and started the sub soil excavation. Since I had that stoke last spring I find it a bit tougher to dig, this used to be FUN, :lol: now its just work. :o I will still keep at it until I get the whole garden completed. I am over 1/2 way now, and with this hole completed I will have the left 1/2 of the garden totally double dug and several areas of the right side completed . My goal is to have the whole garden double dug and the beds complete by the time I am 65. I think I am just a bit behind schedule at this point. :lol:
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Re: My Hugalculture Experiment

Postby DevilsBrew » Sat Nov 16, 2013 9:12 am

Dude, you had a stroke last year? Massive kudos to you for accomplishing this garden work.
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Re: My Hugalculture Experiment

Postby pa_friendly_guy » Sat Nov 23, 2013 4:59 pm

I am taking it a bit easier Devil. Not working as hard as I used to, but still working, still keeping active. I think that is key to live. When you stop moving you Die. :lol: Just one mans opinion. ;)
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Re: My Hugalculture Experiment

Postby pa_friendly_guy » Sun Dec 29, 2013 10:42 pm

Just a small update, it was warn yesterday and I worked in the garden. I have the sub soil about 1/2 dug out of the hole now. I am running into a lot of hard rock on the one corner of this excavation. Much more pick work than I would like. :o Oh well, it will be a long term improvement, there was no way for the plant roots to penetrate that much rock. This will definitely give them some place to run. :D
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Re: My Hugalculture Experiment

Postby pa_friendly_guy » Fri Apr 04, 2014 1:53 pm

Another installment on the continuing saga here on the Hill, :lol: I have finished getting all the soil excavated from this section Tuesday. Turns out Tuesday was a great day here on the Hill, I finished getting the dirt out of the hole in the morning. Then I borrowed a file and sharped my chain saw. [ For some reason I could not find my file and guide to sharpen the saw and time was of the essence so I ran to the neighbors and borrowed his. :o ] Then I took the truck down into the woods and started cutting dead fall in lengths for the new Hugelbed. I cut up a truck load of wood and hauled it to the garden. I had to pull up close to the fence and throw the logs over the fence to unload. After the logs were in to the garden area I staked them into the hole and went for a few more logs to filling a few vacant areas. I then decided to drive to town and get a truck load of Horse poop from my friend. I hand loaded a goodly truck load on my small PU and drove it back home. I again pulled as close to the garden fence as possible and unloaded the poop more or less into the hole. I had a pile of it out side the hole to move as well as a pile inside the hole that had to be leveled. When I was done I hosed out the bed well so that I can help my son move furniture this weekend. ;) The bed of the truck is cleaner than its ever been since I owned it. :lol: All in All Tuesday was a very productive day here on the Hill. It felt good to get so much done. I paid for all the work with a sore back for a few days, but it was worth it. Now I start sifting sub-soil and rocks. :roll:
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Re: My Hugalculture Experiment

Postby matt walker » Fri Apr 04, 2014 3:52 pm

Dang, that's a lot of work Guy. Sounds like a super productive day, I love the way that feels. I think the doing of the little finishing tasks like hosing out the bed is the most rewarding part. At least, I always feel so much better once the tools are put away and everything is cleaned up. Like, task DONE. Good job man.
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Re: My Hugalculture Experiment

Postby snuffy » Wed May 14, 2014 5:14 pm

My plan was to do a Hugalculture in the back garden this Spring. But....it's submerged mostly right now. Once it drys up enough I'll dig a trench with the front loader then fill it with a bunch of logs from ice storm damage and what I didn't use for firewood. One of the reasons I wanted to do it was because it's low and the Hugalculture will get it out of the water in Spring. The digging will be easy as I'm in sand here.
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Re: My Hugalculture Experiment

Postby pa_friendly_guy » Wed May 14, 2014 6:42 pm

That sounds like a great idea Snuffy. The logs at the bottom will help raise the level of the land enough to get you out of the wetness problem, and then when things dry out later in Aug they will act as a sponge to give the plants water when it is needed. I would plan on raising the level several feet because it will rot down and settle as time goes by, that way you will still be high and dry even after several years go by. Good luck with your project, I hope it works out well for you, keep us posted.
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