Straw, dirt, logs and twigs
careful mounds packed for decay,
this gardener’s dream:
black earth mountain richness feeds
a riot of spring flowers.
©2016 ontheland
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Hugelkultur is a method of creating a new garden bed by layering logs, branches and twigs and covering them with alternating layers of organic materials such as leaves, straw, compost, soil, and so on. Digging in my yard is next to impossible as the topsoil is thin and there is an abundance of clay and rock. So this fall I constructed my first ‘hugel’ mound. I placed straw and soil on top of branches from a huge pile of brush left out back by previous inhabitants. In spring I’ll add composted manure, liberally sprinkle with seeds, and cross my fingers. For more info and illustrations, visit this Permaculture magazine article.
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Tanka poem in response to Carpe Diem Tanka Splendor #27: decay
Ontheland 
This is first time I heard of “hugelkultur”…wish you success and hope to see photos of those flowers next summer 🙂
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Thanks…yes I’m dreaming but also thinking the bed may need some warm temperatures at first, but I will plant seeds in spring…I save seeds from flowers I’ve grown so I have a lot on hand to experiment with.
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Hugelkultur works. I’m sure you’ll be delighted with the results. Last summer, we were delighted to pick chillies, aubergines, celeriac, beans and bush tomatoes grown in the compost, generated from organic materials readily available on our land, in two raised rectangular garden beds we created for similar reasons. I noticed less watering was needed.
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That’s encouraging to know. And I did read that water retention is good.
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Fabulous! And much luck with your garden. 🌹
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Thank you:) some extra fun for springtime.
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