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permaculture - [permaculture] Humanure, trench composting with biomass and weeds, Hugelkulture

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  • From: "Lawrence F. London, Jr." <venaurafarm@bellsouth.net>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [permaculture] Humanure, trench composting with biomass and weeds, Hugelkulture
  • Date: Tue, 14 Sep 2010 00:38:29 -0400


Its a subject of interest to me: how to alternatively, safely, completely, efficiently and naturally process humanure.

A lot of people use 5 gal. plastic bucket with sawdust (or compost).
Another solution is to, in warm weather, create a trench running with a slight downhill grade, about 10-16" deep (not critical). Fill it with cut weeds. Use it, "flush" afterward with buckets of water to dilute and disperse the solids into the mass of weeds. Use a different spot along the trench each day. Eventually weeds will grow into the trench and convert the existing nutrients into plant food. As the level of plant material drops add new layers of more cut weeds (dried weeds, green or compost OK).
In winter use the same system but make the trench wider and deeper. Pile biomass into the trench to 12" above existing grade (it will settle out so keep replenishing the pile). Use it and "flush" as described above. Use only the upper half of the length of the trench always. Leave the lower half to process the humanure and convert it to compost in combination with the biomass added to the trench.
During heavy rain the trench will flush itself by overflowing onto adjoining grade and then downhill to fertilize plantings safely.
The extra amount of biomass used in winter will insulate the trench
from the cold allowing the composting process to continue, a little less in winter but nevertheless adequately. You could always build a little tunnel type greenhouse to cover and further insulate the trench; lift up one side of the plastic for access to the trench to use the system. This might be a sort of modified Hugelkulture composting system.




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