Lee, I love the idea of using a sled to help bring up material out of the woods!
Shoe: sounds like you've got the perfect situation there. Those holes filled with organic matter will become rich gardens, I think. They could also be good traps for moisture. If the land lays right you could make those into rain gardens.
hazelnut, you and I see things the same way! Stay tuned for many more articles from me in line with permaculture ethics!
Vic, I would throw any compostable material into a hugelkultur bed, for sure! When I pull weeds I often put them straight on this bed (roots sticking up in the air so the weed doesn't take root in the bed!)
Becky, -any- organic matter is better than none, and I think pine cones would be fine material to add. I would only be concerned about making the soil too acidic but you can work around that with lime and/or wood ashes.
