Hugelkultur — The Art of Composting Felled Trees
An ancient German farming practice that continually and sustainably feeds your garden for decades
I enjoy browsing through “Free Stuff” on Craigslist every now and then. I’m never actually looking for anything in particular because my family has all the material needs for our lifestyle. I like to see if there is anything useful that can be used for homesteading.
Of course, Hawaii being a net importer of life’s daily necessities, it’s not uncommon to see postings for free wooden pallets. As tempting as free lumber of any quality is, I wonder what they carried, which makes using them for anything that touches the food that I will grow out of the question. But maybe I can use it for building a fence or some other infrastructure on the homestead.
On a regular basis, I’ll see ads for free tree stumps and branches from a tree that was recently felled. I’m sure that in a colder climate where fireplaces and stoves are common, tree stumps go quickly. But I currently live in Hawaii, so wood-burning stoves and fireplaces aren’t required unless you live in the mountains on the Big Island (yes, it actually snows on the peaks of mountains on the Island of Hawaii).
I have some ideas for using tree stumps and branches in my homestead. Hugelkultur in particular comes to mind.
