HugleKulture

Hey, I'd never heard of it either, even with a German background and being the direct decendant of a man that forever picked up every dropped branch and leaf on this property and piled it, in a hole, on a hill, or wherever he thought that the ground needed to change shape. But he never once thought to plant anything in it.

I found out about it in a local newspaper article run on a young couple that were being very successful at sustainable agriculture and where doing a CSA basket program with their bounty as well as supplying a couple of local restaurants.

Now this newspaper article definetly got them noticed, not just by people wanting to eat local and/or participate in the CSA program, but it also served to bring out every Wingnut in the area ( namely me ) and have them drop by for a visit to see just what was going on here.

So what is it, well I'm no expert, that's for sure, since I've just gotten my first two built and have yet to plant them. But the principle is this....you take organic matter, branches, leaves, compost, anything that you can find, and you layer them into a mound. It really makes sense to put the bigger stuff on the bottom btw. The natural process of composting will take place and produce heat, which will be beneficial to the growth of whatever crop you've planted on top of the "Hugel" ( which btw means bump, or lump, in German )

So having now found out about this, as usual, I jump on the Internet and Google it, and I come across something else............terrace gardening!! Well, now this is all just calling my name isn't it. I have a lifetime supply of piled up organic matter, the hill from hell, a German heritage that just says I HAVE to try something called HugelKulture, and the desire to grow more, preserve more, freeze more, etc. and maybe be the winner in a 2 generation battle against this hill.

So I'm combining the 2 theories and hoping that in the end, I will have a leisurely switch back path, up that hill, that leads me from one bed of goodness to the next. At worst, I will have a hill full of bumps that is still a bugger to get up, in which case we will resort back to the quick and easy way of making it dissappear........throw a bag of sunflower seeds down there, let it grow and enjoy them and the birds that it brings. I mean really, sunflowers are like fireworks and rainbows... if they don't make you smile, you need to check your pulse to see if it's still there.

the $12.00 Tomato project

Welcome to my little spot on the web where I get to tell you how to grow a $12.00 tomato, along with other things I've learnt along the way.

Now if you are so inclined to grow a $ 12.00 tomato, here's how you do it...

First you buy yourself a 2.5 acre bush lot,

Then you start to build the house that can't be built ( according to some so called experts )

Then you get completely sidetracked from the building operation at hand, your new habitat btw, that should be priority, because, hey this is Canada, and winters coming....and you get over ambitious about the up coming growing season, because, you have designed this house with a totally amazing pantry space and you want to fill it.

So you take time off from being the general contractor and go dig yourself a garden plot, in the forest, add compost and go buy $12.00 worth of seedling tomato plants.

Now I have no idea if this works with $10.00 worth of plants or $14.00 worth, so you are on your own with that idea, but it does work with $12.00 worth, trust me on that.

So you take these plants and put them in the newly composted area, in the forest, and water regularly, special care needed during dry periods.

And in the end, Voila...............ONE tomato, not the biggest tomato you've ever seen, and pink does sorta count as ripe...........but there you go, you are now the proud owner of a compost pile, in the forest, shaded by not just trees, but a half built house and winter is still coming whether you like it or not, and you have a $12.00 tomato to do with what you like. Maybe stew it and put it in that awesome new pantry, there's an idea.

As it was, mine went mouldy, I think everyone was to afraid to actually cut into something that expensive.

Now of course, that was a long time ago and I have learnt that unless you are willing to cut down a good portion of the forest and heat your house with it, and there by create an at least semi-sunny spot............you need to just stick with Hostas and Perriwinkle.

In the 20 odd years that have followed, I have managed to grow bumper crops of tomatoes, and numerous other veggies, but I'm always up for trying something new, and hope that it works out. Peppers are still an issue, but I'm not giving up ( yet ) and some things like carrots, well I try them every so often, but they are seriously on the "are they worth the real estate" list. Top of that list is green peas, and they will never, ever come off that list. But Snow Peas do get planted every year even though I have never gotten a big yeild from them either, but I think that has more to do with Bob the Builders munching than anything else.

This year I'm trying a big assortment of new things, some of which will end up on my new HugelKultur beds.

And, just because I can be a bugger for punishment, I'm going to try Mushrooms...........not "Shrooms"..... just plain sauteable, tasty mushrooms.

So stay tuned and I'll let you know how things work out.