tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544358755192295336.post2802128070143560209..comments2023-12-27T21:17:42.471-08:00Comments on Cold Hands Warm Earth: Hugel up a new gardenUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544358755192295336.post-36109089009588624692017-03-29T14:07:25.427-07:002017-03-29T14:07:25.427-07:00Ah great idea, old paperback books - got lots of t...Ah great idea, old paperback books - got lots of them! 15 beds, wow, great job. I think I'll do another one this year.Susiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10354350096358468967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544358755192295336.post-4741978820142648072017-03-06T13:15:11.204-08:002017-03-06T13:15:11.204-08:00I did this and made 15 beds. The reason that I did...I did this and made 15 beds. The reason that I did it was because my allotment is on the banks of the Thames in Oxford and we flood.<br /><br />I dug down to the sub-soil ( just over 4 feet) and filled the hole up with logs,branches,cardboard ( which I collated around the streets in Oxford ) and in one case over a 1000 paperback books.<br /><br />The beds have sunk down abit and I keep topping them up with compost. I put four wheel-barrow loads a year on top.<br /><br />I make compost from leaves and grass cuttings which I get from St.Johns College.<br /><br />The paper book bed grows good rhubarb, by the way.Richard Haighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05297183133437240631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544358755192295336.post-37803311996894879562014-09-14T13:40:34.842-07:002014-09-14T13:40:34.842-07:00Thanks Susie. Yeh, sounds like a good idea for you...Thanks Susie. Yeh, sounds like a good idea for your wet area. I wish I'd heard of these a few years ago, I have quite a big slope across my allotment and so on one side have raised beds made from pallets to even up the ground level...could've filled them up using the same method...I have lots of thin irregular logs stacked up in habitat piles at the end of my allot from where I cut back a huge old rosemary and buddliea. Hmm well, there's still one spot I could do this, so maybe if I get chance this winter I'll give it a go.Lou@RainbowChardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01435858511588433002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544358755192295336.post-29046550474532503312014-09-12T18:08:59.365-07:002014-09-12T18:08:59.365-07:00Hi Lou! I did not put down enough cardboard and m...Hi Lou! I did not put down enough cardboard and mulch near the bottom so I had a fair bit of grass growing up through the soil. I avoided root veggies when planting as it might take a few years for the logs to fully break down. But the winter squash grew very well in the garden this year despite the grass! I would do this again for sure (in fact I have a low area that gets quite wet each year and I might build it up with logs, mulch and such for another hugel.Susiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10354350096358468967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544358755192295336.post-38912989319419663622014-09-12T15:09:08.039-07:002014-09-12T15:09:08.039-07:00Hi! Just spotted this on your blog. Did this turn ...Hi! Just spotted this on your blog. Did this turn out ok for you? I was reading about these earlier in the year and thought they sounded like a good idea.Lou@RainbowChardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01435858511588433002noreply@blogger.com