Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[Harvey Ussery <harvey@themodernhomestead.us>]

Couple of years ago there were a few posts about "hugel beds". They 
piqued my interest because of the inclusion of woody reclamation 
materials like prunings that are the composter's bane. But then someone 
said (s)he had tried the technique, and it hadn't worked out so well, 
and I lost interest.

But the concept stayed in my mind. Now I'm experimenting with the 
concept, though not in garden beds. I'm getting increasingly interested 
in complex organic debris fields for both reclaiming "wastes" (we gotta 
come up with an alternative term--Nature sure doesn't know the meaning 
of the word) and feeding my poultry. I've done some experiments with all 
sorts of materials you'd use to make compost heaps, in order to achieve 
both chicken-powered composting, and feeding opportunities for the 
flock. [See "The Lazy Gardener's Compost Heap" at 
http://themodernhomestead.us/article/Composter+Chickens.html  ]

But so far I haven't added dense woody materials. That is now changing.

I simply refuse to haul refuse anymore, if it is biodegradable. And I'm 
not going to buy a chipper. So prunings become a bigger challenge than 
ever before. I'm starting to assemble hugel beds of a sort in connection 
not with gardening but with the flock. I lay down a thick layer of 
brushy prunings--branches up to an inch thick. Then a heavy layer of 
horse manure and "stable sweepings" on top, then "the take" from 
weeding, grass clippings, etc.

The debris field is currently not accessible to the flock. I intend it 
to "set" awhile and "get mellow" (become more biologically active), then 
I'll release the birds onto it. Worms, crickets, grubs--yum. If the 
woody stuff takes forever to break down, no problem--I won't be trying 
to plant thru it. I can keep on layering on finer materials and going 
thru the cycle again, as long as it takes for the woody stuff to break 
down. At that point I should be able to "harvest" some excellent compost 
from the site, and start over.

Anybody done anything along these lines in connection with poultry? If 
so, I'd love to learn your results.

~Harvey

--
Harvey in northern Virginia
www.themodernhomestead.us

A society that permits the advantages of ecological abuse to go to  
individuals, while the costs are shared by the whole society, is  
effectively subsidizing the destruction of its environment.  ~John Michael Greer