tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8503965173390785713.post2541694793855010805..comments2024-01-13T01:12:09.513-08:00Comments on Wood for Food ~ Gardening with the Slow Burn of Rotting Wood: My Kind of Snow Fort!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381205300806328192noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8503965173390785713.post-75175036765681096932014-03-20T16:52:22.291-07:002014-03-20T16:52:22.291-07:00Hello Jacki,
It's great to hear that you'l...Hello Jacki,<br />It's great to hear that you'll be building hugelkultur beds in your new garden... you will be glad you did! In our climate, using less water for irrigation is a major advantage. Please keep me posted on how things go. Happy first day of spring!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07381205300806328192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8503965173390785713.post-35337909500538380082014-03-20T12:15:35.344-07:002014-03-20T12:15:35.344-07:00I am so intrigued by this method; I'll be usin...I am so intrigued by this method; I'll be using it instead of building raised beds for my new garden, because it seems that it's less work, and more friendly to the earth. Can't wait for spring!Jackihttp://www.o-garden.canoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8503965173390785713.post-72721814393677196272014-02-25T21:14:21.570-08:002014-02-25T21:14:21.570-08:00wow!
I love gardening!
Flowers,spices and anything...wow!<br />I love gardening!<br />Flowers,spices and anything like that!<br />you're "my kind of snow fort " looks like you are having a sprout party in you snow fort ; ) .<br /><br />Fawn A. <br /> Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8503965173390785713.post-20449200687185393092014-02-19T17:57:12.251-08:002014-02-19T17:57:12.251-08:00Erica, thanks so much for your thoughts on punky p...Erica, thanks so much for your thoughts on punky pine for hugel work! It's great to hear that pine worked well for you too. Seems like the most important thing is to use what we have available, with maybe just a few exceptions like cedar, walnut and black locust. How wonderful that you have a fenced area where your snow melts first -- wow! That sounds great! <br /><br />I too am concerned about the perennials, especially with that first super cold snap coming when there was no snow on the ground to insulate... time will tell. Great work getting your beds established so they can catch the meltwater this spring. Please keep us posted on how it goes. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07381205300806328192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8503965173390785713.post-58136096259173735112014-02-18T05:30:33.208-08:002014-02-18T05:30:33.208-08:00Definitely on the south-facing slope north of the ...Definitely on the south-facing slope north of the pond. Luckily that's also where the in-laws had a "spare" fenced-in garden plot, so that's where I'm playing with my own hugel experiments. <br />As for pine: I used a lot of punky old pine poles and horse manure, then dirt and mulch on top. Some on grade and some buried. The potatoes loved them. A lot of other things did fine too: rhubarb, tomatoes, herbs, onions. Beans did better in the ground, but that might have been to do with the tunneling voles who loved those log runways. I think you can do it with any kind of wood, especially if you have other stuff to add so the moisture is filtered through soil (the plants don't have to dip their roots straight into intact wood).<br />We'll see if any of the perrenials survived this intense cold; but I expect the general growing conditions will be even better this year just because it will catch the meltwater this time.Erica Whttp://ernieanderica.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8503965173390785713.post-85349069145257287912014-02-15T15:44:02.006-08:002014-02-15T15:44:02.006-08:00Yvonne and Joyce, thanks so much for your comment....Yvonne and Joyce, thanks so much for your comment. I'm excited that you want to give this a whirl! An important principle is to use what you have available. If pine is what's available, then just look for pieces that are partially decomposed, the more rotten the better. I have found that rotting pine works just fine! As long as it's at least starting to get punky and you keep it plenty moist, it will break down and grow food for you. :-) Look for "greens" to layer in with it -- food scraps, manure, etc., -- and rotting leaves are great too. Make sure you water it generously with every layer you add, and the bed will give back all the energy you put into it, plus lots more! Yes, we have deer -- the wall of thrift store sheets kept them out quite well. Please keep me posted!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07381205300806328192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8503965173390785713.post-90589441447381566712014-02-15T15:20:09.793-08:002014-02-15T15:20:09.793-08:00Joyce (daughter) and I looked at the whole system ...Joyce (daughter) and I looked at the whole system again and are thinking: "Just how can we adapt this?" One of the problems is that most of our old non-firewood is pine, less than desirable. Do you deal with deer? We loved the sheets! <br />YvonneAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8503965173390785713.post-60174810164966779922014-02-14T09:46:26.249-08:002014-02-14T09:46:26.249-08:00Julie - I loved this lesson on hugelkultur; it cer...Julie - I loved this lesson on hugelkultur; it certainly is my new word for the day. I have some old rotting wood, probably fir and pine, but very old, at the bottom of my property. Maybe I'll haul it up.Have you seen No-Work Garden Book by Ruth Stout? She uses much mulch, mostly from rotten straw. I'll read your blog again to get the find details. Thanks. Yvonne, fellow gardenerAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com