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28 Comments
Great work and effort. I hope to learn more about Flood Plain food security. These tricks and experiments are helping , Thanks for being a mentor to many
These videos of unusual ideas and experiments are my favorites !! 😊 Thank you !! 😊
I will incorporate this idea into my ponds…I think it will create more diverse habitats for larvae of insects and amphibians.
Now everyone in a wet climate will want 'semi watery hugelies'… You need to copyright that term! 😁 On a side note, I have a friend here in Yorkshire UK who does a lot with willow, and has had a number of commissions to fortify eroding river banks with metre thick woven willow structures; they collect silt from the water, becoming a growing space for trees and shrubs which themselves protect the bank. This is far cheaper than craning in concrete blocks, as well as being far preferable for the habitat.
I somehow got unsubscribed. Welcome back to me
The strap reminded me of the existence of the travois. Seems like a small one would be nice for dragging brush around with the strap, be able to carry even more. I will experiment 🙂
I imagine grabbing one of those logs after a year or two and using it to make instant mini hugel containers already charged with water and fertility.
I'll be interested in the results of this experiment. Wood under water doesn't necessarily break down readily. Submerged anaerobic wood has survived for centuries. I suspect, but am uncertain, that your results would be better if you set the logs as a sort of conical liner with the top ends at the pond shore above the water line. You may recall that Mollison recommended putting a bag of compost material into ponds to feed the microbiome of the pond. Very interested in the results 😉
nutrient bogs 😉
We have not done much of anything with ponds – yet 😉 I have used loads and loads, hundreds of linear feet, of fallen logs, standing deadwood that I've taken down clearing some spaces – basically anything in the 'log' size category that's no good for any kind of construction – and used it for framing raised beds and along swale berms to make nurse logs.
Doing same activities for different purpose: Attempting to great shallow ponds to slow intermittent creek water down. I've been adapting idea from Regenerative Agriculture and Stream Restoration methods, they call it Leaky Log Dams. Lots of brush and branches first, then the big and small pieces of cordwood and logs. then trenching when I can tell where I need to redirect water. Takes time and patience. The first winter i did nothing, just watched what the water did on it's own. Then trying to imagine where a beaver picks spots for their long term ponds. Yes, may take 3 -5 years to get basic infrastructure and I do have access to plenty of fallen trees or cordwood. Thank you for this wonderfully useful presentation.
We do a lot of chipping with our brush. Spread it on our raised beds along with all our maple leaves. Goes on our herbal beds and anywhere we want to slow the weeds. The chips also make great trail beds too. We live in the timber so lots of chips available. Haven’t burned brush for 40 years. We have a spot on the property where we pile all the excess material. Critters love it and it is constantly rotting into compost that we can use. 😊
🦃🍗Grateful for you, family, and friends.🦃🍗For all you share and your amazing living-with-nature patterned ways. 🦃🍗 May good fortune smile on you always. 🦃🍗Happy Turkey Day🦃🍗
Hy,
A question: do you have any suggestions on how to rapidly degrade/"compost" honeylocust thorny young trimmings? (Except making biochar)
Any concern of water overflow? Looks like a neat idea!
I have a handful of swale/mounds around the property that I've been filling with rotted logs, branches, and any brush that needs a home. So far it's worked great. There seems to be a lot more beneficial critters in them now whereas before (without the brush), in the summer months, it was primarily mosquitoes! Also, running directly along the swales are mounds with a dense planting of woody perennials. Everything in the mounds seem to thrive and benefit from the swales and brush. I always thought of them as a sort of variant on huglekultur!
That brush trick works so much better than the wheelbarrow! When I moved brush with the wheelbarrow, I had to retrace my steps and pick up all the fallen branches not to mention the branches poking me in the eye!
Just going to point out that one of the best sources of prehistoric archeology is bogs.
Including finds made from eminently compostable material.
These logs are still going to be logs when you are long gone, if they are going to be submerged for much of the year.
What are some water loving woody perennials? I have several failed ponds that only have water in spring.
I’m a trucker and often just tie ratchet straps too, for my loads, those clamping devices can be irritating at times too, more trouble than they’re worth…😂. Really interesting technique with the logs, reminds me of ancient Mexico City hugel culture mounds, probably how they did them. You’d of course fill in your pond, but if that was the intention then it be could fantastic. Just occurred to me, maybe they piled organic matter 5-8 feet above the waterline and it “falls” into soil…. Good ideas you stared.🎉
Looking forward to seeing how the space evolves!
i'm sure the salamanders and all sorts of little woodland critters are going to love those sodden logs as well!
Happy and proud to be part of the subset! Great info as always!
Could you use this hugel/pond in a grey water system?
my land floods in the spring and I've dug mini ponds and back filled with hand sawed european buckthorn. It definitely helped some toads and the mice as well, mushrooms everywhere
great idea, i moved to VA 4 years ago and there is a crack the runs through part of my field that flows with water when it rains, I've been putting wood chips and hemp bedding from my chickens in there to help build soil. I will try to add some logs and then soil and plant lots of wi inter squash in it next year
Watery huggelies= wuggelies.
What a great way to utilize the fallen logs.
A new building video! That would be amazing. I really like your building videos. All your videos are great tho. ❤