Listen…… Did you hear that? That was me taking a deep breath. I’m very humbled by this year. Several projects didn’t work out to be all roses for me. I need to slow down, relax and reflect.

My First Permaculture Hügelkultur Garden Bed is one of those things that hasn’t worked out like I thought it would. At first it all seemed like it made sense. What could go wrong? How hard can it be? Just do it!

Well, I did it. It was fun. It sure looks cool… actually, it just looks like a pile of dirt by my orchard.

The concept is that you bury a bunch of wood, add manure and compost. Cover it with mulch and presto you have an amazing garden that will withstand all the elements. Anything you grow there is an instant SUPER FOOD.  Ok, that last line is my exaggeration, but it is how I felt when I built this thing.

Apparently it doesn’t all work out like that right off the bat. This stuff takes time. It depends on a lot of variables. When it’s all done the bed hold moisture, but up front you have to add a lot of water. Here in Texas, it’s possible that I didn’t add enough water. There’s also the issue of the carbon from the wood sucking up nitrogen so the plants can’t access it. You have to add a lot of nitrogen to help speed up the process of the wood breaking down. I did add a good bit of chicken manure, but again… maybe not enough.

The good thing is that I’m learning some valuable lessons here. I am looking forward to 2014 with a new mindset. My view of the future is good, but I know that I can’t accomplish everything as rapidly as I normally like. I’m dealing with nature now. Nature has it’s own course. It may be possible to encourage nature along, but I cannot expect for it to work on my schedule.

Check out these videos to see the progression of this project.

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