Hugelkultur what is that? Simplistically, it’s a mounded, raised garden bed made from a variety of organic materials. The mound decomposes providing a long-term supply of nutrients. It also stores water and requires less watering. I had a tired old vegetable garden that needed a rehab so I decided to make my first mini hugelkultur. Here’s what I’ve done so far:
- Dug a trench - mine was about 4 feet wide by 8 feet long by 18 inches deep. I wanted to make it deeper but I ran out of digging steam (aka the rocks won).
- Add cardboard (no tape or stickers)
- Added woody debris mostly branches from my pruning efforts over the last year
- Added layers as I cleaned up the garden - included fennel, parsley, sunflowers (no weeds or weed seeds)
Sounds like my compost pit, minus the cardboard and sticks. I do it each year and get more soil for my cliff-side potato patch. - Margy
ReplyDeleteHi Margy, Thx for commenting. GC
DeleteI first came across this concept in the early 1980's, from a fellow in Yahk BC who swore by it. It's a great way to build raised beds, as the structure holds them together and the layers slowly compost and feed the beds. I had great success with it during the 18 years I lived (and gardened) in Lund.
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