Hugelkultur - Year One Update

Well, it is almost Summer here in Georgia, and my hugelkultur is almost 1.  I was so excited to see whether this thing actually works!  Results so far are mixed.  Let's go to the tape:

  

As you can see, I planted the hugelkultur with a wide variety of stuff.  I have wildflowers, potatoes, onions, cucumbers, squash, pumpkins, lettuce, raspberries, and a couple other things.  I also have a lot of straw growing in from the hay that I used to help layer the mound.  

The Good

1. The irrigation method works.  After a couple weeks of no rain, the plants that took root in my hugelkulture are going strong.  I think this will only improve with time as the internal materials start to break down into hummus. 
2. The potatoes.  While I haven't harvested anything yet, the potato plants are loving it.  Despite having used mostly poor soil (Georgia Clay) to cover the wood and straw of the mount, the potatoes are tall and green.  
3. The peas.  In an effort to improve the soil in the hugelkultur, I planted several types of nitrogen fixers, such as clover and peas.  One benefit of the peas is, well, peas!  My kids and I have enjoyed this added bonus over the last couple weeks. 

The Bad(?) 

1. The height.  If I do this again, I won't build the hugelkultur quite to high.  Despite the large volume of water that flows to the site, I don't see how it can saturate a structure that high (almost 4 feet).  I think I may take a few layers of wood off the top this fall and see if that doesn't help.  
2. Onions and lettuce.  My onion and lettuce are not doing well.  

The Ugly.

1. The Hugelkultur.  Don't count on a hugelkultur to be pretty.  Mine isn't.  It looks mostly like a big mound of dirt plopped in my yard.  I thought the addition of wildflowers would help, and it has a little, but my hugelkultur isn't nearly as dense with vegetation as I have seen on other sites. This may be due to several factors, including limited sun, poor topsoil (clay) and this being the first year of the mound.