Might be worth doing a soil test. That would at least catch salt.
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If the soil smells right it passes my main test- much as I test food for freshness.
The soil you are talking about also experienced more leaching than in normal conditions.
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I started an experiment yesterday with an old antique pedestal bath tub that i have been wanting to turn into a worm bin. I put wood on the bottom, that was decaying and with lots of fungi and other unknowns growing on it. I put lively soil on top of it that was full of worms and grass and rotting roots. I put some composted leaves and rotten grass clippings and then about 5 gallons of biochar. Top dressed it with fallen leaves until it was full to the top.
So this will be an above ground test that i can explore fairly easily.
I think on the drain end i am going to catch the water runoff and call it compost tea as well.
This spring i am going to plant something on top like zinnias and not water it much.
If it all goes well next fall i will excavate the whole tub out and harvest the worms and start all over again.
If this works out and the wood on the bottom decomposes and feeds and multiplies worms i will probably get a couple of stock tanks and up my worm bin game.
Black gold and worm multiplication is the goal. Planting annual pollinators on top is a bonus.
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Neat to see this subject come up. Over the last several years I have been cleaning up my property and have been piling the rotting wood I’ve collected along a 30’ section of my driveway. I like the look, but recently I started thinking I’ll have some dirt brought in so I can cover it all.
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I incorporated a bit of Hugelkultur into my raised beds here in New Mexico. They are 4’ x 8’ and 2’ tall. Before filling them with soil (50/50 native dirt + compost), I chucked a large amount of cottonwood logs into the bottom of each. I also mulch the surface heavily with straw. Both of these things seem to really help with retaining moisture in the soil. Garden is super productive!
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30’ is a fine amount for a row of fruit trees!
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I imagine retaining water is probably the most important factor for growing in New Mexico.
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I’ve been struggling to see fruit trees on that piece of property. Most of my visualization and actual work has been around non-food gardening. It’s in the mountains, so deer and other pests would likely be a problem. Probably stick with the fruit trees at my “city” house. But I do jealously eye other larger properties and think about what I would do with a nice sunny couple of acres that I could fence.
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I can see how big rotting logs of wood could help a lot. They would be like reservoirs holding available water, probably releasing it by way of capillary flow as the soil above dries out during the growing season, encouraging moist but not soppy soil conditions. plus the advantages of raising the beds- better drainage and early warming.
And who burns cottonwood?
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I came across this video and he takes a look at the logs he buried after 4 years.
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My wild blueberries came with some sheep sorrel. I’m at the point this year I could make salads with sheep sorrel as the greens every day for the foreseeable future. This evening I inspected the patch more closely and found what appears to be an albino (not even variegated) seedling that is making headway without burning in the sun.
If it wasn’t a weed I’d consider propagating it! I’m going to let it grow and reduce competition for it and see if it has an appreciable difference in taste vs the rest of the patch.
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Just starting to build a mound this summer – 4’ x 30’. Using bur oak logs that were cut four years ago. Bur is a white oak variety that will decay slowly. I won’t plant anything on the mound this year, but should be good to go next spring.
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Looks like you got it. One thing that many forget about hugulkultur is that the dirt has to go over the wood. Digging a trench is the best way, I think. Many people, such as myself forgot to have the wood truly buried. Good job.
John S
PDX OR
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i filled in between my logs with smaller sticks then horse manure then topped with good soil. ive had to add about 3in.of soil over the last 5 yrs from settling and breaking down. did mine in 2 4’ x 8’ 2’ deep raised beds.
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The Arawaks had a system of garden plots called the conuco. Typically at the edge of clearings in the forest. the consist ed of large refuse piles where they would plant their squashes and such. These would also serve as bait where they could set up in a tree with a bow or poison dart or employ their sticky traps on the ground.
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I have some additional topsoil so I’ve been putting some soil between each layer of logs – though I’m still sure there are some voids that critters will find. And I’ve been watering between each layer. I also added some chicken manure and a later of leaves on the second tier of logs.
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That’s good looking dirt. My ex always said she missed Kansas loam as it’s that color. What there is of it left above the clay is good soil. Most Kansas dirt has had severe erosion so much of that loam is gone.
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id love me a truck load of that! although my soil is greatly improved over the last 7 years where ive been mulching. if i could get enough woodchips id even cover the grass in between the rows with it. hate mowing grass!
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What is overwhelming at it’s core is even a bigger chore with all these trees. Ditto that!
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