With my renewed discovery and love for gardening, have been trying out all sorts of new ways to grow in a new land and terra.
The earth being "clay-yee" for the most part, is not very easy however, one has to overcome
So, what do I discover, that there is a method called Hugelcultur, hill culture in other words; we shall create a hill above with all the logs and twigs and branches of all the fallen trees as foundation, fill it with dried leaves, bits of bark and general debris of pruned leaves and then cover with soil dug from around the older fallen trees, natural rich top soil, worm filled, black and clean to the touch.
So down the slope I went, where there were logs that had been there for years, dug in real deep into the ground, just lying there. I had been throwing all the weeds and grasses on top of it for the past three years. All had decomposed soft and dry to the touch; just moved it all away, twigs, branches, leaves and grasses and there I had my reservoir of soil.
Filled up my base trunks with more branches. Made it into a good 5' high hill
filled all the gaps, nooks and cranies with the dried mulched and unmulched leaves, grasses and twigs
To digging the soil then, ah back breaking, patient hands to the toil, job! shovel by shovel, bucket by bucket, filled in the hill, covered and patted the hill and viola, it was all covered and ready.
Soaked it for two days myself, put in some starter borage and compfrey at the base, and then lo and behold, the soaking from up above began! The Grace of God poured down on the hill, which my husband thought would be washed away! But no, oh no, it stood right there, in two days of pouring rain, firm and steadfast as a hill should be. The borage and compfrey still there.
My growing on the rest of the hill will thus begin in earnest once the rains are over. The soaking required has happened by Divine Grace. Now for the seeds to scattered, the herbs and flowers to be planted all over and then with patience and fortitude we shall wait for the fruits of this labour of love to manifest itself.
May all creatures, great and small live off its bounty.
The earth being "clay-yee" for the most part, is not very easy however, one has to overcome
So, what do I discover, that there is a method called Hugelcultur, hill culture in other words; we shall create a hill above with all the logs and twigs and branches of all the fallen trees as foundation, fill it with dried leaves, bits of bark and general debris of pruned leaves and then cover with soil dug from around the older fallen trees, natural rich top soil, worm filled, black and clean to the touch.
So down the slope I went, where there were logs that had been there for years, dug in real deep into the ground, just lying there. I had been throwing all the weeds and grasses on top of it for the past three years. All had decomposed soft and dry to the touch; just moved it all away, twigs, branches, leaves and grasses and there I had my reservoir of soil.
Filled up my base trunks with more branches. Made it into a good 5' high hill
filled all the gaps, nooks and cranies with the dried mulched and unmulched leaves, grasses and twigs
To digging the soil then, ah back breaking, patient hands to the toil, job! shovel by shovel, bucket by bucket, filled in the hill, covered and patted the hill and viola, it was all covered and ready.
Soaked it for two days myself, put in some starter borage and compfrey at the base, and then lo and behold, the soaking from up above began! The Grace of God poured down on the hill, which my husband thought would be washed away! But no, oh no, it stood right there, in two days of pouring rain, firm and steadfast as a hill should be. The borage and compfrey still there.
My growing on the rest of the hill will thus begin in earnest once the rains are over. The soaking required has happened by Divine Grace. Now for the seeds to scattered, the herbs and flowers to be planted all over and then with patience and fortitude we shall wait for the fruits of this labour of love to manifest itself.
May all creatures, great and small live off its bounty.
