Hugelkultur in a Pot Part 2: Leaves, Compost, and Potting Soil
Today I finished the hugelkultur pot that I started yesterday.
Here is the ritual meadow, looking north.
This pile of dead leaves is left over from fall.
I'll be using a wide trowel and a hand rake to gather the leaves.
This is where we left off yesterday, with sticks in the bottom of the giant pot to improve drainage and provide some nutrients as they break down.
The pot now has a layer of dead leaves. This will keep the soil out of the drainage sticks below.
I'll be using a one-gallon bucket and wide trowel to fill the flowerpot.
American Countryside Compost and Manure is a favorite brand. It will provide food for the tomatoes. This way, I don't have to buy expensive potting soil with chemical fertilizer in it, and I should get a few seasons of use from the pot before it needs refilling -- especially if I add liquid fertilizer. I've got comfrey, so I could make some.
I have Evergreen Potting Soil for the top layer.
This is the south lot looking west toward the septic garden.
Here is a closeup of the septic garden and cap.
The water tray will catch water that drains from the pot. This one is thin plastic. Thick plastic or even ceramic would be better, but this is what I have for the current season. I don't want to make a separate shopping trip just for trays.
This is the giant pot in its position by the septic garden, at the southeast edge.
Here you can see the water tray under the pot.
This kind of utility knife has a retractable blade. It's convenient for cutting open bags.
I cut open the top of the bag to dig out the compost. Since it's up on a bench, I can just put the bucket underneath and scrape.
The bucket holds about one gallon of compost.
The first bucket of compost doesn't even cover all the leaves.
It takes a total of three buckets to bring the compost up to the desired level.
Here you can see the pressed rings that I used as a gauge for levels. The brown dot on the pot is a tiny spider that's been running around in there from the leaves. It's probably a wolf spider, a savage predator of the detritus food web. It will get a lot bigger. My yard was just full of spiders today, silk threads everywhere. I'm happy to see them outside, hunting pests.
I cut a strip of plastic loose from the top of the bag to tie it, leaving one end still attached.
I twist the top closed and secure it with one overhand knot. Using a self-tie means I don't have to find something to tie the bag or worry about dropping it in the grass.
I have cut open the potting soil bag.
This is the first bucket of potting soil.
I've dumped the first bucket of potting soil on top of the compost.
After several more buckets, the bag of potting soil is half empty.
This is my garden trolley. I used it to haul the half-bag of potting soil to the giant pot. It is one of the most useful pieces of equipment I have ever bought. The high back makes it blow over in the lightest breeze, but other than that, I love it. We have a big wheelbarrow but this is more my size.
It took a whole bag of potting soil to fill the pot close to the rim. That's most than twice the amount of compost, which shows how much volume change there is moving up the pot as it gets wider.
I did not plant anything yet, because I'd rather do that in full daylight. The main goal of these big pots is cherry tomatoes. But I want to grow marigolds around them for pest repellent and pollinator attraction. It would take at least 8 marigolds around the rim if I bought them. I have a large amount of Shithouse Marigold seeds, so my plan is to sow those, leaving spaces to plant 4 marigolds later -- yellow ones if I can find some, as the Shithouse Marigolds tend toward orange to red.
Here is the ritual meadow, looking north.
This pile of dead leaves is left over from fall.
I'll be using a wide trowel and a hand rake to gather the leaves.
This is where we left off yesterday, with sticks in the bottom of the giant pot to improve drainage and provide some nutrients as they break down.
The pot now has a layer of dead leaves. This will keep the soil out of the drainage sticks below.
I'll be using a one-gallon bucket and wide trowel to fill the flowerpot.
American Countryside Compost and Manure is a favorite brand. It will provide food for the tomatoes. This way, I don't have to buy expensive potting soil with chemical fertilizer in it, and I should get a few seasons of use from the pot before it needs refilling -- especially if I add liquid fertilizer. I've got comfrey, so I could make some.
I have Evergreen Potting Soil for the top layer.
This is the south lot looking west toward the septic garden.
Here is a closeup of the septic garden and cap.
The water tray will catch water that drains from the pot. This one is thin plastic. Thick plastic or even ceramic would be better, but this is what I have for the current season. I don't want to make a separate shopping trip just for trays.
This is the giant pot in its position by the septic garden, at the southeast edge.
Here you can see the water tray under the pot.
This kind of utility knife has a retractable blade. It's convenient for cutting open bags.
I cut open the top of the bag to dig out the compost. Since it's up on a bench, I can just put the bucket underneath and scrape.
The bucket holds about one gallon of compost.
The first bucket of compost doesn't even cover all the leaves.
It takes a total of three buckets to bring the compost up to the desired level.
Here you can see the pressed rings that I used as a gauge for levels. The brown dot on the pot is a tiny spider that's been running around in there from the leaves. It's probably a wolf spider, a savage predator of the detritus food web. It will get a lot bigger. My yard was just full of spiders today, silk threads everywhere. I'm happy to see them outside, hunting pests.
I cut a strip of plastic loose from the top of the bag to tie it, leaving one end still attached.
I twist the top closed and secure it with one overhand knot. Using a self-tie means I don't have to find something to tie the bag or worry about dropping it in the grass.
I have cut open the potting soil bag.
This is the first bucket of potting soil.
I've dumped the first bucket of potting soil on top of the compost.
After several more buckets, the bag of potting soil is half empty.
This is my garden trolley. I used it to haul the half-bag of potting soil to the giant pot. It is one of the most useful pieces of equipment I have ever bought. The high back makes it blow over in the lightest breeze, but other than that, I love it. We have a big wheelbarrow but this is more my size.
It took a whole bag of potting soil to fill the pot close to the rim. That's most than twice the amount of compost, which shows how much volume change there is moving up the pot as it gets wider.
I did not plant anything yet, because I'd rather do that in full daylight. The main goal of these big pots is cherry tomatoes. But I want to grow marigolds around them for pest repellent and pollinator attraction. It would take at least 8 marigolds around the rim if I bought them. I have a large amount of Shithouse Marigold seeds, so my plan is to sow those, leaving spaces to plant 4 marigolds later -- yellow ones if I can find some, as the Shithouse Marigolds tend toward orange to red.