In the January Local 20/20 column in the Port Townsend Leader, Michael Pilarski discusses hugelkulturs and other ways of using yard waste in your own yard or garden, to improve your soil and avoid greenhouse gas emissions and fees of transporting it somewhere else! Michael is the organizer of the globalearthrepairconvergence.com, coming to Port Townsend in May 2026.
By Michael Pilarski
Using your own yard waste for your garden can reduce costs while increasing sustainability and resilience. Here are some ways to utilize trimmings from trees and shrubs, grass clippings, weeds and other forms of garden biomass productively in your garden or yard.
Hugelkulturs (biomass raised beds), formed by making a mound of woody debris and covering it with finer organic matter, such as grass clippings or weeds, and then with soil, can be a great way to use yard waste in your garden. The mound becomes an instant gardening spot, and can be planted into immediately.
Hugelkultur size can vary from tiny to massive. I have created some that were 100 feet long and 7 foot tall and included logs and large stumps. I have created small ones that you could fit inside a wheelbarrow and everything in between. Machinery is not required for the smaller sizes, they can be made by hand.
The types of soil used for the topping can be almost anything. It can be sand, clay, stoney, etc. Of course, loamy rich soil works best, but oftentimes isn’t available in the quantities desired. One way to use limited good soil is to use the poor soil to cover the hugel and then make planting pockets with good soil.
What can you plant on/in a hugelkultur? Vegetable gardens, medicinal gardens, ornamental gardens and low-statured plants. Or berries, vines, shrubs and trees.
If the soil is particularly wretched and the biomass is dry and coarse, then there might not be enough nitrogen and nutrients for the plants to be able to do well. In these cases, some nutrient-rich material needs to be added. This can be done during the construction or afterwards by watering in nutrient-rich solutions such as compost tea, fermented herbal teas made with green weeds, fish solution, or seaweed extracts.
How fast do hugelkulturs subside? How long do they last? Most hugelkulturs will be useful for 10 to 20 years and ones with large material for 50 years or longer. Our biggest hugels have subsided from about 7 feet down to 5 feet in height over six years. (To learn more, search for hugelkultur and Michael Pilarski on Youtube.)
Other ways to use your yard waste are to chip or shred branches to create mulches, which are great for all sorts of gardens – they reduce weeds, fertilize the soil as it breaks down, and reduce irrigation need. And woody biomass can also be used for habitat – a small pile of old boards in a shady, wet location provides habitat for salamanders. Piles of brush are habitat. Trees that need to be removed can be left with a high stump, which provides habitat over time. Tree trunks can be utilized in the landscape or in hugelkulturs. Forest ecosystems need snags and downed logs for healthy ecosystem functioning.
One of the benefits of retaining biomass on site is carbon sequestration. The biomass used in hugelkulturs can last from years to decades, with the carbon sequestering deep into the soil. Additionally, not using fossil fuels to move it reduces its carbon footprint. And the biomass builds soil. Chips might take 2 to 5 years to break down – digested by soil micro-organisms and fungi, they leave behind an improved soil. Add layer after layer and over time, and the soil gets more fertile, more open and also retains water better, another benefit of retaining biomass. Composting with a wide variety of materials can produce lovely soil amendments/fertilizer. For example, piles of raked-up leaves inoculated with red wiggler worms can produce excellent gardening material, and save on buying compost.
One caution on retaining biomass is that depending on where you live, they can attract pests such as rats, so monitoring should be done and control measures or modification taken if necessary.
Overall, finding ways to use your yard waste on your property can benefit your garden, increase habitat, and be both cost-effective and eco-friendly.
Bio: Michael Pilarski is a long-time farmer and gardener living in Port Hadlock, and a member of Local 20/20’s climate group. He is the organizer of globalearthrepairconvergence.com, coming to Port Townsend in May 2026.
