Hugelkultur is a composting method that uses large pieces of rotting wood as the centerpiece for long-term humus building decomposition.
Photos from the event posted on Facebook
Here are the resource links that we recommended to people who took the workshop:
This 528-page book includes articles by over 50 authors plus a resource guide to over 2,400 noteworthy forestry books, articles, organizations, periodicals and individuals. It offers the most comprehensive, international overview of sustainable forestry available. $26.95. http://www.friendsofthetrees.net/books.htm
2. Fungi Perfecti’s MycoGrow™ products are designed for everyone from the home gardener/landscaper to the professional forestry manager, promoting faster growth, speeding transplant recovery and reducing the need for fertilizers and other additives. A number of different formulations are available, for all methods of plant cultivation.
Go to: http://www.fungi.com/product-detail/product/mycogrow-soluble-1-lb.html
3. EARTH MINERALS may be purchased through Tim Forbes at $54/lb. We'll be happy to give you a sample to test in your garden before you purchase our product. WHY ADD TRACE MINERALS? The difference between rich, fertile soil and poor, infertile soil is essentially this: the mineral composition of the soil. The flavor and nutrition in fruit, grains, and vegetables are based on the soil minerals available, not the amount or type of organic matter. If a needed mineral is missing, it is just that, missing, and no amount of organic matter will make up for it. No amount or combination of the air elements Carbon, Oxygen, and Hydrogen will add Zinc to your soil, and all plants and animals need Zinc. Plants also need Copper and Iron and Manganese, Calcium and Magnesium and Phosphorus, and at least seven other essential minerals (animals need at least fourteen more), and they need them in an available and balanced form. Rotting organic matter may release growth stimulants like Nitrogen and Potassium, but the other minerals are what create sweetness and flavor and nutrition in food. Without these other minerals you may achieve high production, but you will not achieve the highest quality. We are Organic, Biodynamic, and Sustainable gardeners, and we strongly support the idea of a living, energetic, biologically active soil. We have learned that the absolute best cannot be achieved without a full complement of minerals available and in balance.
4. BIODYNAMIC PREPARATIONS: The Bio-Dynamic Preparations (BD Preps) are based on the original indications given by Rudolf Steiner.
A healthy agriculture requires balance, which can be achieved only by using all nine of the BD Preps (BD #500-508) in one form or another. The various Bio-Dynamic Sprays are most effective AFTER the soil has been first enriched by compost or manure treated with the BD Compost Preparations #502-507. Although immediate results from the use of the preparations are observed in some situations, a four-year transition is a more usual case.
They can be purchased on this site: http://www.jpibiodynamics.org/catalog/8
5. An important video with Sepp Holzer (Hugelkultur Permaculturist) and how he transformed the landscape at Tamera: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hF2QL0D5ww&playnext=1&list=PL8D50C5F3DCA5BDB8&feature=results_video