Category: Building
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Gardening With Sun Traps and Sun Scoops
When gardeners and permaculturists talk about a “sun trap” (or “sun scoop,”) they mean a landscape feature that catches solar rays throughout the day and blocks the coldest winds. The term can be used for naturally sheltered pockets created by chance, but it also refers to carefully crafted horseshoe-shaped design features. A human-created sun trap…
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Hügelkultur Gardening on Clay Soil
This spring, faced with establishing a new garden in hard clay soil, I wondered if hugelkultur might be a good strategy. The technique, which involves burying logs, branches, and mulch in a steep-sided mound, would certainly bring organic matter into my garden. But would they decompose properly when surrounded by clay?