A First Try With Hugelkultur

Last winter, when we were making our garden swale, we dug up a lot of dirt. Some of it became a berm on the downhill side of the swale, but with some of it, Dan decided to try hugelkultur. 

Hugelkultur is a permaculture term that I’m sure a lot of you are familiar with. It’s German for “mound culture,” which is actually a type of raised garden bed. It’s built from dead logs, soil, branches, and sticks. According to richsoil.com, hugelkultur decreases the need for irrigating and fertilizing, plus it sequesters carbon. Since it’s pretty much just buried wood, it’s a productive way to use up rotting wood, twigs, branches, even whole logs, rather than dumping or burning them. Hugelkultur beds are primarily mounds, but can be made in trenches to be ground level (like my swale beds).

I confess I’ve been a skeptic because I’ve read reports from others in hot climates that say they don’t work. I even mentioned this in 5 Acres & A Dream The Sequel. 

I think what changed my mind was Permies.com, where hugelkultur is a basic tenant of permaculture gardening. The key seems to be the size of the mound. Many people seem to make small mounds, which will dry out quickly. The bigger the mound, the more moisture it can hold. Dan wanted to give it a try, so here we are. Now, I’m wondering if I’ll have to eat my words. Well, I hope so! Since we have an abundance of dead wood (mostly pine), hugelkulture would be a great way to deal with it.

Here’s our hugelkulture in pictures.

My concern was that the seed and compost would wash downhill when it rained, It did, though not as badly as I anticipated. In the bare spaces on top, I  poked winter squash seeds into the soil. On the sides, I planted black turtle beans.

I have to say that I’m quite pleased with how well our hugelkultur mound has grown. I know it will take some time before all those logs and sticks break down enough to be of best benefit, but it’s a start. The only thing I’ve watered has been the squash seeds planted on top. The top is where it dries out most quickly, and I want the squash to survive.