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Summary
part 2 of a 3 part podcast
Paul continues reviewing the hügelkultur slides.
Mulch alone is better than hügelkultur alone. Ruth Stout achieved excellent results with 8" of mulch and zero other effort but she has a lot of precipitation. However, you don't want to import hay due to the herbicide issue. There are always some who claim that it's impossible to get mulch to stay on the hügelkultur, but there are multiple ways to achieve that which Paul lists.
Mulch materials include organic hay, grass clippings, left-over hay, organic straw, pine needles, living mulches e.g. pennycress, kitchen scraps with sawdust spread on top. Straw and hay are different; hay is cut green and dried, straw is dormant plants which are cut after the growing season. Samantha likes straw, but you need to know where it's grown and that it's organic. Hay contains nitrogen which is released when it's made wet. Straw actually immobilizes nitrogen. Since almost all imported material could be contaminated with herbicides, its safer not to import anything.
Next Paul mentions angle of repose which is the angle which loose substance in a pile makes. In a hügelkultur the wood makes a structure that holds it together and prevents it from flattening out; roots also do the same job. Dandelion and Buckwheat are excellent for making fast-growing taproots. Some of Paul's hügelkulturs are 9 years old and still standing.
Hügelkulturs can extend the growing season in cold climates. Just by making 2ft high raised beds Paul managed to extend the growing season by 2 weeks at the beginning and end of the season. Hügelkulturs are even taller and better for this, plus if one side faces south, it absorbs more heat from the sun and the stored heat protects plants when it starts to get frosty. You also want to be careful not to create frost pockets, so don't put the hügelkultur on contour. By placing the hügelkulturs in different directions, you can mitigate the effects of wind.
Relevant Threads
Hugelkultur forum
Gardening Without Work by Ruth Stout
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