When I posted my last Throwback Thursday post about my hugelkultur bed, I knew people would want an update. Here it is!
Hugelkultur is raised bed gardening without a structure to hold it and a large amount of wood debris as its base. Biomass is added, building up the mound, sometimes building it into a large hill. Plants are placed upon it and the wood holds water to help retain moisture for the plants to use. My hugelkultur bed had 10” logs around it, just laid on my grass, with assorted chunks of wood tossed in the middle. I filled the area with bagged grass clippings, dry leaves, sticks, bark, corn stalks, whatever I cleaned out of my garden except tomato plants (they retain fungus). I didn’t use a lot of pine either as it’s acidic. I threw on some dirt, some chicken coop dirtied straw, whatever would compost. I stopped throwing food waste on it as mice appeared and skunks. I planted right into the layers even before they composted.
Looking back on it, I definitely would change some things, but overall, I’d give it a grade of B.
- I’d go more “all in” if I did it again. It was never much over four feet tall at any point and that with big bag loads of grass dumped on it. I’d probably add more dirt and logs.
- I wouldn’t plant raspberries on it! The raspberries have taken over and have spread to and are taking over my garden.
They look gorgeous but I had cut them all back and these are first year canes, so no raspberries, but they’re almost as tall as me!
3. My rhubarb loves it there and I think I have elderberries in there somewhere and maybe even a baby apricot tree. I’d plant my squash and pumpkins on it instead, then I could pull all the thistles that have invaded.
4. It was supposed to help cut the wind and create a microclimate of sorts. I can’t tell that it has but maybe if it was taller.
5. With the demise of my bagger lawnmower, I haven’t added to its height in probably three years. Guess I should buy a bagger for my lawnmower, but again, the raspberries make adding to it difficult.
6. Where hugelkultur shines is the soil. With the wood in it, all those good bugs and worms are present. They are happy. They make great compost and soil. It definitely gets an A+ in this department.
These are five feet apart. I’ve added stuff to my garden, manure, rotten straw, chicken coop leavings, so it’s not as red of dirt as what my grass is growing in! But you can tell…. The hugelkultur is basically just grass and leaves and “trash” from my yard and it’s created some fantastic soil! All that stuff you set out at your curb could be making better soil for your garden.
Would I do it again? Yes! I think I would put it at my fence line. I wouldn’t plant raspberries just because they want to spread… I’d be braver and make it taller. I’d buy a bagger attachment and keep adding to it. I think the basic premise is great, you just need to adapt it to what you want to grow.
Find me here!
My same experience with raspberries. They are intent on world domination.