r/Hugelkultur

We recently purchased a property where the only otherwise suitable space for a garden is on a stone shelf and also has multiple springs in the area. (Soil tends towards clay. The lawn is very healthy throughout, no dead spots, only significantly more green spots.)Found out about the shelf and springs when talking to the neighbor our first day moving in. It's very wet all year round, some places being soft, but nothing "swampy" per se. We had hoped when buying the land to be putting in some dwarf fruit trees and a significant garden, but it sounds like many have tried;all have failed. I'm hoping hugelkulture could offer a solution. Most of the reading and podcast listening I've done looks positive, but a family member who had personally done hugelkultur sounded less than convinced. Thoughts? Insights? Suggestions?

I had heard of hügelkultur years ago from friends who were starting to use these methods in their garden. Well, I just learned about it a couple of weeks ago in some of the gardening videos I have watched. I live in the Sacramento area, zone 9b. Practicing water conservation is necessary. I recently became a gardening enthusiast, and figured this was right up my alley.

There is a raised bed on this rental property, which I finally got some life into (worms! 😁), after 2 years, and want to get approval for more raised beds. I would like to apply hügelkultur methods to these beds when I start them. I do not have much in the way of finances to work with, so where would you all recommend I start?

Also, what are your favorite books on hügelkultur? I will look for them at the library.

Please, and thank you! 🙏☺️