hugelkultur: the ultimate raised garden beds

[thetimeisright]

https://richsoil.com/hugelkultur/

I have used this system for the last two years, it produces amazing crops

[Dreamtimer]

Very interesting, thank you.

[thetimeisright]

you are welcome, if i may be of any assistance, just let me know :smiley-dance013:

[Dreamtimer]

Well, we've just had a bunch of trees cut down and there are many wood chips available so it looks like I can set something up to sit over winter and then try it out in the spring.

Should be fun! (and a good bit of work):ok:

[Dreamtimer]

I watched a couple vids and read a couple articles.

Straw bale gardens require less soil, less water and hold heat. As the straw breaks down nutrients feed the plants. Combining a straw surround with a hugel interior, topped by lasagne layering is an excellent idea for an area with poor quality soil.

https://www.permaculture.co.uk/sites/default/files/images/strawbale.jpg


https://www.permaculture.co.uk/sites/default/files/images/sheet-mulch.jpg

[modwiz]

I watched a couple vids and read a couple articles.

Straw bale gardens require less soil, less water and hold heat. As the straw breaks down nutrients feed the plants. Combining a straw surround with a hugel interior, topped by lasagne layering is an excellent idea for an area with poor quality soil.

https://www.permaculture.co.uk/sites/default/files/images/strawbale.jpg


https://www.permaculture.co.uk/sites/default/files/images/sheet-mulch.jpg

Thank you for sharing this.:D

[Dreamtimer]

Thanks, Modwiz.

I really liked the lasagne image. It may be because I've made homemade lasagne twice this year using greens from the CSA. It was so good.

I find the idea of garden dirt lasagne very appealing.

[Dreamtimer]

More tips:


Plant immediately. If you are not ready to plant your hugel beds yet, at the very least install an annual cover crop to hold the soil. You can use an annual pea or bean to help to build the fertility in the soil. I planted a variety of perennials and a few self-seeding annual herbs and fruits. I have seen video footage of permaculture people throwing out seed mixes on hugel berms. I decided to take the extra time to plant my polyculture based on the plants desire for varying degrees of sun, shade, moist, and dry conditions. I also planted the seed one variety at a time, so I could get the proper planting depth required for each plant. In this situation, where I am planting high value fruits and herbs it was worth taking the extra time to plant to ensure the best germination. I also made small terraces by hand when I was planting my very high value perennial fruit seed.


Plants on the South or Sunny Side
(Arranged from the top, which is dry to the bottom which is moist)

White Yarrow- Nutrient accumulator, pollinator attractor, insectary
Cilantro- Edible, Insectary, Pollinator Attractor
Beach Plum- Insectary, Animal Forage/ Habitat, Edible
Common Apple- Insectary, Animal Forage/ Habitat, Edible
European Plum- Insectary, Animal Forage/ Habitat, Edible
Golden Currant- Insectary, Animal Forage/ Habitat, Edible
Fennel- Insectary, Animal Forage/ Habitat, Edible, Nutrient Accumulator
Roman Chamomile- Insectary, Tea
Parsley- Edible, Medicinal, Animal Forage


Plants on the North or Shady Side
(Arranged from the top, which is dry to the bottom which is moist)

Chicory- Insectary, Pollinator Attractor, Edible, Nutrient Accumulator
Hazelnut- Edible, Animal Forage
Purple Coneflower- Insectary, Medicinal, Pollinator Attractor
Seaberry- N-fixer, Animal Forage/ Habitat, Medicinal, Edible
Serviceberry- Insectary, Animal Forage/ Habitat, Edible
Garlic- Nutrient Accumulator, Edible, Medicinal
Red Mulberry- Edible fruit, Bird Habitat & Forage, Dyes
Bartlett Pear- Insectary, Animal Forage/ Habitat, Edible
Wild Lupine- N-fixer, Edible, Insectary


10. Mulch over your seed. The problem with large hugelkultur berms is that it is difficult to hold the seeds in place on the steep sides and get germination. I used a biodegradable straw seed mat that I staked into place with sod spikes. The sod spikes were not necessary though as simple sticks shoved through the mat worked fine as well.

from Phil Williams

[thetimeisright]

thank you, that idea looks great, one of my favourite sights in our garden is spotting bees and bumblebees, hopping around, i always sow borage among the vegetables, bees LOVE it, oh of course you have to sow nasturtium, really pretty, and both have edible flowers

[Dreamtimer]

So good to know, and so much to learn.

I thought this was helpful as well:


SUN

Some hugul beds are built running east-west so that the mounded bed has a variety of microclimates — a hot and sunny south side and a cooler and shaded north side — to take advantage of. If you plan on using your hugel for vegetable production, it can make sense to run the bed north-south so your crops receive more even light exposure.

WATER

Look at the water flow in your garden and pinpoint both the low lying, moist or mucky areas and the areas that drain like a sieve. Positioned strategically, a sponge-like hugel can soak up or redirect excess water, but too much water, pooling or flowing along the side of the bed, can undermine the bed’s structure.

WIND

A hugel bed, particularly a large one, will modify the air-flow in your yard.

Think about:

Where the dominant winds come from in your climate
What areas might benefit from a wind block in your garden
How a large mound in your yard might modify air flow and what the impact of that might be
How a hugel might change existing frost pockets and microclimates
And what you plan to grow in your hugel, because crops planted on the top will have to cope with considerable wind if the hugel is in an exposed, windy location.

SHAPE

Hugels are not typically framed in or edged and tend to be more freeform in their look and design. So, a hugel needn't to be conventionally rectilinear! Consider gentle arcs, open bowls, or whatever shape the considerations of light, water, wind, and existing terrain suggest.


Some people try for mandala type designs. I will just have some mounds here and there.

[Dreamtimer]

This isn't exactly hugelkulture, but as a container design, which some have adapted to hugelkulture, it's great.

Here's a keyhole design. The compost is in the middle and when watered, the nutrients spread into the soil.

https://cdn.1millionwomen.com.au/media/large_image/keyhole_garden.jpg

[thetimeisright]

image of a red cabbage from my hugel kultur

file:///C:/Users/owner/Desktop/42988612_163165761256011_4507800002306768896_n.jpg
file:///C:/Users/owner/Desktop/42910106_2438418006183241_6113530941039181824_n.jp g

[Dreamtimer]

I'm getting ready to uncover/clear out some areas with cut wood and get the beds ready for winter. I don't know yet what I'll grow on them but it will be a variety of things.

If you go advanced, then pick attachment, you can download photos from your computer.

[Aragorn]

image of a red cabbage from my hugel kultur

file:///C:/Users/owner/Desktop/42988612_163165761256011_4507800002306768896_n.jpg
file:///C:/Users/owner/Desktop/42910106_2438418006183241_6113530941039181824_n.jp g

Very nice! But, um, you might want to upload them as attachments instead? :ttr: The server has no access to your local hard drive, you see. :p

You can read how to upload attachments in this thread here (https://jandeane81.com/showthread.php/9817-How-to-use-attachments-to-post-pictures-in-vBulletin). The attachments will then be uploaded to the server's local storage, and you can then manage your attachments by way of your User Control Panel (https://jandeane81.com/usercp.php). For instance, it is possible to reuse already uploaded attachments in future posts — I do that all the time. ;)

[thetimeisright]

Hi dreamtimer, a good idea is to sow green manure first, preferably a nitrogen fixer eg: https://www.growveg.co.uk/guides/green-manures-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/
the best of luck my friend

[Dreamtimer]

Excellent, thank you thetimeisright. I imagine there are several kinds which will work well here. We have a combination of sand and clay and very hard dirt. I have a couple spots where I've been composting and they have nice dark soil. But, as the article mentions, it's hard to have enough.:garden::garden::garden:

[Dreamtimer]

Did some work today. Moved some cut logs, fortunately mostly just into place rather than to another place. There are some smaller ones to layer on top.

I found some octopus stinkhorn in the process.

The next area on the list has logs in place, and lots of branches nearby/over which need to be cut. That will be interesting since it's near the stream yet in a higher spot.

Another interesting job will be to remove an old tarp from from some very rotten logs which will be a foundation. I'll have to keep an eye out for spiders and snakes. Oh my.

I also moved some flagstones for a path to the stream. Found a big spider there. No snakes, thankfully.

The rain from this year has changed the stream bed in amazing ways.

[Dreamtimer]

I collected some persimmon fruit yesterday. We have one persimmon tree which blooms but doesn't fruit. It needs a mate. Turns out it's a bit of a process to get the seeds ready. I could stratify them in the fridge or just plant them over winter. I might do both.

The trees are just now dropping leaves at a measurable pace. Time to start raking and piling. Leaves have been a great way to stop erosion in certain areas near the stream. We've dumped a bunch of leaves in a couple spots and the stream has moved away from the eroding bank. It has worked very well.

Does anyone know how to stop brown rot on stone fruit trees? I have a copper spray but I didn't manage to control it this year. I'd sure like the fruits to ripen instead of rotting at the halfway point. It didn't used to happen with the apricots. Those would get eaten by the deer just before they were ripe enough. But that tree died.

Persimmons are apparently deer candy. We'll see how it goes.

[Dreamtimer]

I've worked a good bit more and my husband is helping by adding clippings to the mounds. I have bulbs to plant next which means lots of digging. I sure wish the humidity would abate. It's October and still feels like September.

I'm still contemplating whether to stratify the persimmon tree seeds in the fridge or just plant them and let them winter in the ground. Maybe I'll split the difference. I got around 30 seeds out of a handful of fruit. I also found some stone fruit seeds I had saved, I'm not sure how viable they are but I'll try planting them as well.

Some of the seeds I saved I forgot to label. :blsh: I can figure out what most are but I have some mystery pods. Tree or bush, not sure.

I'll post some pictures eventually. Right now I have to download photos and clear my memory card.

I haven't tried the three sisters approach yet, so I'll give that a go this spring.

[Dreamtimer]

This is from the Farmers Almanac:


To try them in your garden, in spring, prepare the soil by adding fish scraps or wood ash to increase fertility, if desired.


Make a mound of soil about a foot high and four feet wide.

When the danger of frost has passed, plant the corn in the mound. Sow six kernels of corn an inch deep and about ten inches apart in a circle of about 2 feet in diameter.

When the corn is about 5 inches tall, plant four bean seeds, evenly spaced, around each stalk. About a week later, plant six squash seeds, evenly spaced, around the perimeter of the mound.

[Dreamtimer]

The most traditional version of the three sisters would be for crops which are stored over winter. With care, summer beans and squash can be used, but the vines are easily crushed by feet.

...the upright element is traditionally corn, but sunflowers or grain sorghum make interesting alternatives. Also Amaranth.

Sunflowers make great companions for fast-growing, heavy beans.

Space-saving squash varieties like ‘Ponca’ butternut are useful where space is tight.

Putting the sunflowers on the north side helps to prevent too much shading while inviting pollinators.

...with spaghetti squash by the beans, deer and other pests have a hard time finding the beans. Use pole beans (not bush beans)

Bee balm and tobacco were also traditionally grown near the three sisters.

[Dreamtimer]

Here's a video about lasagna layering.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuNUTTFYArY

[Aianawa]

Ta DT, got an old peastraw bale and was wondering what to do with it, gosh now the choices after reading thread.

[Dreamtimer]

I have a mound ready to put soil on for the spring. There is a good bit of shade where I live, so I have to keep that in mind.

Glad to help. The nice thing about lasagna layering is you can do it right on top of rocky soil or even cement. You make the dirt.