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HOW IT WORKS

"If we want clean water, we have to get the biology back in our soils. If we want to grow & harvest crops, we have to build soil and fertility with time, not destroy it.
The only way to reach these endpoints is to improve the life in the soil" 


- DR. ELAINE INGHAM

GARDEN REGENERATIVELY WITH OUR DIY GUIDES

We farm vegetables, & flowers with Hügelkultur

Hügelkultur is an ancient German farming technique focused on breathing life into the soil in order for the soil to breathe life into our vegetables, herbs, and flowers.


We fill our Hügels with layers of wooden logs, straw, and compost material. The layers are then covered with soil.

Over time, the layers decompose, providing nitrogen and other nutrients helping microbial life in the soil thrive. When microbial life thrives, our plants thrive. 

Combined with our companion planting practices, hügelkultur helps ensure we never have to use pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, or fungicides...not even organic approved.

untitled-49.jpg
Hugel with fresh wood
how our hügels look fully grown on our regenerative farm

by farming with Hügelkultur we:

maintain
EnviroGanic Certification

we farm microbes, microbes farm the earth

NEW-Hugel  image

when you practice Hügelkultur in your home garden, you help bring your community's soil back to life, reduce food waste, offset your carbon emissions, and protect your health. & it's easy to do in just five easy steps!

Step 1: Dig a Trench

 

Dig a trench for the base of your hügel. Your trench should be a few feet deep & as long as you intend your raised bed to be.

Step 3: Add a layer of compost & straw

 

Add compost from your home or garden and straw as the second layer in your hügel

how our hügels look fully grown on our regenerative farm

Step 5: Plant Your Crops 

 

Plant diverse crops & watch them grow into a thriving food forest. 

Step 1: Build a Trench | DIY Hügel Building on our Regenerative Farm

Step 2: Add a layer of logs

 

Add a layer of logs or large branches as the first layer in
your hügel. 

Step 4: Build Your Mound | DIY Hügel Building on our Regenerative Farm

Step 4: Build your mound 

 

Repeat the two layers, switching off until you have a mound. Top off your mound with a layer of soil & a layer of straw.

DIY: EASY BACKYARD COMPOSTING

We compost to sequester carbon, offset methane emissions, eliminate the need for chemical fertilizers, create soil preferred by microbes, and to advance our journey to becoming a zero waste farm.

Turn your food & yard scraps into soil while offsetting greenhouse gases!

BEFORE

before shot of compost

AFTER

after shot of compost

HOW COMPOSTING WORKS

During decomposition microorganisms consume nitrogen and carbon containing waste breaking it down into nutrients. A well-managed compost pen can break waste down in as little as three weeks when properly mixed every 3-7 days. Every year, we make our soil with last year's composted waste.

COMPOST GRAPHIC.

food scraps (nitrogen)

leaves & yard trimmings (nitrogen)

twigs & branches (carbon)

COMPOSTING TIPS

 

1 Ensure your compost bin has plenty of air holes to allow for aerobic respiration. Flip your compost very 3-5 days to help with air flow and to keep it mixed.

2 Add water to your compost every time you flip it to support your growing microorganism population. Your compost should be moist but not soaked.

3 Add soil or existing compost from your garden to establish your microorganism community.

COMPOST GRAPHIC

HOW TO BUILD A COMPOST BIN

 

1) Place four stakes in a square in the ground to make a 4x4 sized pen

 

2) Wrap your stakes with chicken wire on all sides, leaving the top of the pen open

 

3) Add a layer of brown twigs, sticks, & dried leaves (carbon) to the pen

 

4) Add a layer of green grass & lawn trimmings (nitrogen)

 

5) Add a layer of veggie scraps (nitrogen)

DIY: EASY WORM FARM

At Bird Valley, worms play a crucial role in our regenerative farming by creating essential nutrients for our plants.

NATURE'S DECOMPOSER

Earthworms plough through soil, eating decaying organic matter digesting it into nutrient-rich worm castings to power a healthy soil-food-web.

SAFER FOR YOUR PLANTS

Worm castings, known as vermicast are an effective alternative to fertilizers which can burn plants' roots, kill worms, and contaminate soil and water.

Build your own worm farm!

WHAT YOU'LL NEED

  • 2 5-gallon containers

  • 1 container lid

  • a drill

  • two or three brick, blocks, or pieces of wood

  • torn or shredded cardboard

  • food for your worms

  • soil

  • red wiggler worms

 

Optional:

Mesh Screen

CONTAINER PREP

Create airflow for your worms

to thrive by drilling holes in only one of the 5-gallon containers

Drill 1/8" holes every two inches all along the bottom of the bin

 

Drill 1/4" holes every two inches along the outside of the bin, a few inches from the top of the bin

SEVEN EASY STEPS

Step 1:

Add a mixture of the torn/shredded cardboard & soil to the 5-gallon container with the holes in it, fill the bin about three inches deep

 

Step 2:

Add enough water to dampen the mixture

 

Step 3:

Add your worms into the mixture & let them settle one day before feeding them

Step 4:

Make sure your mixture is moist but not wet enough to form puddles

 

Step 5:

Add your bricks/blocks/wood pieces to the bottom of your second 5-gallon container

 

Step 6:

Place your bin with the worms inside the bin without the holes so that the bottom bin can collect excess moisture

Step 7:

Collect your worm castings from the bin to make a compost tea or add to your soil directly

FEEDING YOUR WORMS

HOW TO FEED YOUR WORMS

Worms love to eat:

  • most fruits & veggies

  • minimal coffee grounds

  • minimal broken egg shells

  • shredded cardboard

 

Food to avoid:

  • meat & dairy

  • citrus

  • garlic

  • onions

Feed your worms finely chopped foods to make digestion easier and more efficient.

 

Worms seem to have no trouble eating & in fact seem to love melons, but will struggle with the rind.

DIY HUGELKULTUR
DIY Composting
DIY Worm Farm
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