Subject: Re: "Hugoculture"?

From: [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 22 Sep 1997 08:27:00 -0400 (EDT)

In a message dated 9/21/97 11:07:00 PM, [email-masked] wrote:

>I'm searching for information about "hugoculture", a gardening style
>using deep and coarse mulches. I saw an article in French at Peter
>Bane's but it was a bad photocopy and faxed after that...and I don't
>speak French (cest la vie). I've been playing around with it for a few
>years and wondered if y'all had tried it or sourced info about it.
>Thanks 
>-- 
>Keith Johnson
>Sonoma Permaculture	
>[email-masked]

Hi Keith:

We have not seen the material on Hugoculture, however we have published
material on permaculture with deep mulch.  We also have a copy of the Jean
Pain book which goes into some detail on some deep mulch techniques.  That
used to be available in the USA (in English, though a dreadful translation).
 I'm trying to remember who was distributing it.  

The soils issue of one of our publications, THE INTERNATIONAL PERMACULTURE
SOLUTIONS JOURNAL (Vol. 1, #3), goes into deep mulch to some extent as we did
it for a number of years in our old Orange, Massachusetts, location.  It is a
perfect adjunct to seasonal poultry foraging in the mulch (late fall and
early spring).  Grafted apples were girdled when a neighbor's poorly managed
sheds were buldozed by a new owner (rats invaded) but seedlings that
germinated in the mulch were not harmed--mostly nut trees and some crab
apples.  Interesting.  We used chickens against the rats--they broke up the
burrows.  Well I'm never going to sell that closet full of back issues if I
go on.  Besides, I have to harvest water hacinth for our chinampas today.

For Mother Earth, Dan Hemenway, Yankee Permaculture Publications (since
1982), Elfin Permaculture workshops, lectures, Permaculture Design Courses,
consulting and permaculture designs (since 1981), and now correspondence
courses via email.  Next starts in Oct. 1997. Internships available.
Copyright, 1997, Dan & Cynthia Hemenway, P.O. Box 52, Sparr FL 32192 USA
 [email-masked]  

We don't have time to rush.