Last week on The Weekend Gardener with NikiJabbour we talked about my hugelkultur. No, that’s not German for Culture of
Hugs and Bagels (close, though!) Hugelkultur is a method of building a raised
bed with a base of logs. I was too punk-ass lazy to photography my bed when I
first built it out of the logs from the backyard spruces I trimmed last winter—and
now it’s completely camouflaged with squash vines—but this picture gives you the
basic idea.
The advantages of the method are manifold: first,
it’s a fairly quick and easy way to make a large raised bed. If you have
mobility issues or simply value comfort, a high-built hugelkulture can be a
comfortable way to garden from a standing position (once it starts to
decompose, you can just add more logs or other organic method on the top to
maintain height). Second, the logs soak in moisture and then release it slowly
over time, allowing the bed to become essentially
self-watering in dry times. I have watered my hugelkultur this summer, but only
about half as often as my “unenhanced” beds. Third, as the years pass, the logs
will slowly decompose, releasing nutrients into the soil, maintaining the
fertility and productivity of the bed.
Fun! Easy! (Okay, not easy easy, but easier than
most other ways to build a big, raised bed). Permaculture-y! Amusing to
pronounce! Hugelkultur. A definite success so far.
