Hugelkultur in a Pot Part 1: Stick Layers
Apr. 12th, 2024 11:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithToday I started on my hugelkultur pot project. (See Part 2, Part 3.) The pot is about 21" at the outside top, 18" at the inside top, 16" tall, and 10 1/2" at the base.
I've been thinking about how I wanted to fill it. I didn't want to use all potting soil because sometimes it's too heavy and other times too light. I didn't want to use gravel or ceramic shards for drainage because eventually I'll want to dump it and refill it. So I hit on the idea of using sticks as the bottom layer, because they'll make good drainage but can also break down over time. Also, I love the idea of using things from my yard. A key rule of permaculture is "Obtain A Yield," and that can be anything you find useful. In this case, I'm using cut brush to improve drainage, so it's productive rather than just a pile of branches in the way of the lawnmower. I'll be adding leaves, compost, and potting soil later.
Hugelkultur is a type of no-turn compost similar to lasagna gardening where you make a pile of stuff, only this version can include anything from sticks to whole trees on the bottom. Eventually the wood decomposes.
The giant pot stands beside the barrel garden for a size comparison. I got two of these pots at the Dollar Store for $14 each, so if you've ever wanted a giant pot, there's a good opportunity.
The bottom of the pot shows where we drilled the drainage holes. Sorry I didn't make before and after pictures of that. The spaces for holes were marked in the plastic but not drilled. (You could make a water garden with one of these.) We just used a hand drill to open the holes. Fit the butt end of the drill bit into the circles to see which size to use. I think they're about 1/4" inch and there are 8 holes.
I used pruners to cut the sticks.
Cut each stick so it's just slightly shorter than the width of the pot. Sticks will get shorter as you fill in the circle.
If a stick won't cut easily, spin the pruners around it to score it, then press against the cut mark with your thumbs or knee until it breaks. It should snap cleanly because you've cut the bark all around.
The first layer of sticks is half done. If you start cutting from the butt end of the branch, the sections will get thinner toward the sides of the pot.
The first layer is complete.
The second layer is half done.
And the I stepped on the rim of the pot while reaching for another branch, and knocked off the sticks. Ah well, things don't have to be perfect, as long as they work. It will be fine.
The sticks have been fitted into the bottom of the pot.
In the closeup, you can see both layers of sticks. This will allow water to drain while keeping the soil in the pot.
Here I've cut some short sticks. These will create a jumble layer above the carefully stacked sticks.
This is about half of a one-gallon bucket of short sticks. I figured that would be enough.
The short sticks are in the bottom of the pot. Just dump them in and spread them out a little. They're not supposed to be smooth.
Since I had my camera out at dusk, and people like my sunset pictures, I walked down the driveway to shoot a few.
This is the sunset from the end of the driveway. I think the two puddles look a bit like eyes.
Look, it's a floodle! A little tiny one.
This is the sunset from the road. Nothing fancy tonight, just warm colors along the horizon.
I've been thinking about how I wanted to fill it. I didn't want to use all potting soil because sometimes it's too heavy and other times too light. I didn't want to use gravel or ceramic shards for drainage because eventually I'll want to dump it and refill it. So I hit on the idea of using sticks as the bottom layer, because they'll make good drainage but can also break down over time. Also, I love the idea of using things from my yard. A key rule of permaculture is "Obtain A Yield," and that can be anything you find useful. In this case, I'm using cut brush to improve drainage, so it's productive rather than just a pile of branches in the way of the lawnmower. I'll be adding leaves, compost, and potting soil later.
Hugelkultur is a type of no-turn compost similar to lasagna gardening where you make a pile of stuff, only this version can include anything from sticks to whole trees on the bottom. Eventually the wood decomposes.
The giant pot stands beside the barrel garden for a size comparison. I got two of these pots at the Dollar Store for $14 each, so if you've ever wanted a giant pot, there's a good opportunity.
The bottom of the pot shows where we drilled the drainage holes. Sorry I didn't make before and after pictures of that. The spaces for holes were marked in the plastic but not drilled. (You could make a water garden with one of these.) We just used a hand drill to open the holes. Fit the butt end of the drill bit into the circles to see which size to use. I think they're about 1/4" inch and there are 8 holes.
I used pruners to cut the sticks.
Cut each stick so it's just slightly shorter than the width of the pot. Sticks will get shorter as you fill in the circle.
If a stick won't cut easily, spin the pruners around it to score it, then press against the cut mark with your thumbs or knee until it breaks. It should snap cleanly because you've cut the bark all around.
The first layer of sticks is half done. If you start cutting from the butt end of the branch, the sections will get thinner toward the sides of the pot.
The first layer is complete.
The second layer is half done.
And the I stepped on the rim of the pot while reaching for another branch, and knocked off the sticks. Ah well, things don't have to be perfect, as long as they work. It will be fine.
The sticks have been fitted into the bottom of the pot.
In the closeup, you can see both layers of sticks. This will allow water to drain while keeping the soil in the pot.
Here I've cut some short sticks. These will create a jumble layer above the carefully stacked sticks.
This is about half of a one-gallon bucket of short sticks. I figured that would be enough.
The short sticks are in the bottom of the pot. Just dump them in and spread them out a little. They're not supposed to be smooth.
Since I had my camera out at dusk, and people like my sunset pictures, I walked down the driveway to shoot a few.
This is the sunset from the end of the driveway. I think the two puddles look a bit like eyes.
Look, it's a floodle! A little tiny one.
This is the sunset from the road. Nothing fancy tonight, just warm colors along the horizon.
(no subject)
Date: 2024-04-14 02:40 pm (UTC)I liked your method of layering sticks from your yard at the bottom.
Thoughts
Date: 2024-04-14 06:21 pm (UTC)It's a very worthwhile technique. It can work in most places, but particularly excels where the soil is bad, too difficult to dig, and/or soggy. You just ignore the ground and put a pile of fresh stuff on top to use.
I've done it once for a friend. She wanted a birdbath but wasn't sure how to deal with the lawn grass and didn't want to do a lot of digging. I suggested lasagna gardening. So several of us went shopping for a birdbath, bedding plants, and supplies. We put down several layers of newspaper to discourage the grass from growing through, then put the birdbath in the middle. We heaped potting soil around it, put in the plants, covered the gaps with mulch. Then we watered the plants and filled the birdbath. Done. The project only took a few hours, start to finish.
>> I liked your method of layering sticks from your yard at the bottom.<<
It works with any pot. In smaller ones, I usually just use a few leaves to keep the soil from spilling out the holes. But with a bigger pot, I stop to think more about drainage, so I may use some sticks.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2024-04-16 01:35 pm (UTC)Yeah, I'm hoping it can help because we have heavy clay soil.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2024-04-16 11:18 pm (UTC)* Clay soil has the worst drainage. This can be improved by adding sand and organic matter (e.g. straw, leaves, compost, manure). If you don't want to dig, you can pile those things on top of your current soil and treat the ground level more like subsoil.
You can also plant clay-tolerant plants or those with groundbusting roots. Comfrey is a good miner plant. Daikon radish grows enormous arm-sized taproots that you can either pull up and eat, or leave in the ground to self-compost.
* Are you on a slope at all? If so, all you need to do is give the water a way to flow downhill, and it'll leave on its own.
If you are on flat ground, you'll need to give the water a way to escape the raised area, and then make sure you're not standing in mud. For this reason people often put gravel or straw between raised beds.
* There are various ways to aid drainage in a lasagna garden or raised bed.
-- If you plan to make a garden in one place and leave it there permanently, you can use perforated drain pipes. These are available in various materials at home improvement or plumbing stores. People also use them to aerate compost.
-- Some people like to use gravel. This is permanent, it won't break down and need replacing, but it means you don't want to dig too deep when planting and harvesting or you'll churn it into your garden soil. It's a great choice for plants that like poor rocky soil, such as most Mediterranean herbs; but not so much for root crops like potatoes.
-- Large wood (logs, heavy branches) makes a good balance between soggy and dry. It's heavy and awkward to lay down. Big gaps will let excess water drain away, and the wood will break down quite slowly. Rotten wood also acts like a sponge, storing water in the soil for plants to use later.
-- Small wood (sticks, chips) is easy to find and handle. But it breaks down fast. You'll get a few years at most before you need to add new layers, or dig out a raised bed to start over.
* If you want to make a rain garden in an area with heavy clay soil, it may be prudent to dig out your low spot and backfill with something lighter such as a mix of sand and compost to aid drainage. Or you can hire a landscaping company to do that part for you -- it's one case where experts can work much more efficiently.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2024-04-24 11:55 am (UTC)I hadn't even thought of that! How clever :D
I already liked the idea of using wood for drainage since it'll break down over time, but I like it even more now. Definitely incorporating that asap.
"If you are on flat ground, you'll need to give the water a way to escape the raised area..."
We used to have little trenches to drain the area out to the ditch, but they haven't been dug out in a while.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2024-04-25 02:59 am (UTC)I already liked the idea of using wood for drainage since it'll break down over time, but I like it even more now. Definitely incorporating that asap. <<
I'm happy I could help.
>> We used to have little trenches to drain the area out to the ditch, but they haven't been dug out in a while. <<
Check the slope. Drainage trenches typically have a notable slant. If you have a problem with them filling up, then consider a dry creek bed with gravel for drainage.
Swales are either flat or nearly flat, and often filled with something like wood chips to slow water movement.