Hugelkultur is No Till Made Easy

Hugelkultur is easy and no till. Originating prior to 1962 in Germany, meaning Hill Culture, the term first appeared in a pamphlet by botanist Herrman Andra. Hugelkultur is an amazing way to reduce the work and watering required by your gardens. The process ensures nutrients are available long term, as well as provides a use for any fallen trees, branches and yard waste that too many of us bag up and discard.

The size of your hugelkultur bed is up to your imagination and the availability of wood and yard debris. From 2 feet tall all the way to six or more, many of these garden beds have been started on fallen trees to large to move and provide decades of nutrients into your soil. Hugelkultur beds are dependent on the slow decomposition of the woody base that ensures good moisture retention and increased soil fertility. As the wood breaks down air pockets are created. These pockets are excellent at retaining moisture, reducing the required watering for your crops. Some mounds can go weeks between watering making them an amazing option for areas with dry seasons.

Hugelkultur mounds work for dry areas, even deserts because they retain water so well. Making your own mounds provides a low maintenance addition to your gardens. The height and structure of these beds can aide in different ways. From reducing wind erosion to adding partial shade areas for your leafy greens. Hugelkultur mounds warm faster than traditional flat bed gardening, allowing you an earlier start to seed your beds. Being loose and well aerated allows the soil to cool slower in the fall as well, extending your season a little longer both ways.

Things to Avoid

With hugelkultur there are a few things to avoid. Woods like cedar, black locust, black cherry and black walnut contain chemicals that make decomposition very slow. Also any type of pressure treated lumber, painted or stained pallets should not be used. Wood chips are useable but will not have the longevity of nutrients delivered by fallen trees.

Step 1

A cardboard layer to hinder any grass growth, followed by large wood pieces in any stage of decay. Water well. Note: as your bed settles during the first months it will shrink in size.

Step 2

Start filling in the gaps between your large logs with leaves, kitchen waste, compost, and any other yard waste on hand. Once filled, some sod flipped upside down will force the grass to die and adds a strong structure to the bed. If you do not have access to sod, a four way mix or even plain soil will finish your mound off.

Step 3

Adding a couple inches of mulch or straw will finish off your bed by stopping most wind bound seeds from germinating. Hugelkultur mounds can be used right away. Mounds do benefit in structure if left over a winter to absorb rain water. The larger your bed is, the more resilient it will be, requiring less watering and attention.

These mounds provide nutrients for even high demand vegetables year over year without the need of additional fertilizers. Depending on your application, goals, and available space Hugelkultur beds can run in any direction. Full light fruits and vegetables do best in a North to south bed. While east to west works better for combination planting of direct and low light crops. Some beds double as wind breaks as well.