Previously, I had a fantastic adventure with my neighbor – I helped him create a raised garden beds for his yard. It was such an enriching and engaging experience that I couldn’t help but share it with you. So, I quickly put together a video detailing the steps we took on how to make a raised bed hugelkultur (which can be found here on my Instagram). If you’ve ever dreamt of starting your own garden with easily available materials, then this is your chance!
In this project, I chose to create raised beds for my front yard, transforming it into a beautiful community garden. A place where all my neighbors can revel in the joy of gardening.
The technique we used is a combination of no dig and another technique known as Hugelkultur. Originating from German words meaning “mound culture,” involves creating raised beds filled with decaying wood and organic matter.
If you’re wondering what it is, it’s simply creating raised garden beds filled with materials locally available. It’s a centuries-old technique that’s very popular among modern gardeners for its efficiency and sustainability. This provides a nutrient-rich, organic environment for the plants to thrive. It’s like gifting your plants with bioavailable nutrients that they can use whenever they need them. Your raised bed will be packed with organic materials and air pockets for the roots to breathe. And the benefits don’t just end here!
During the initial years, the composting process slightly warms the soil. This means you get a slightly longer growing season for your plants. How cool is that?
Also, when you bury wood, it aids in carbon sequestration. This process helps to hold nutrients and carbon into the earth, making them readily available for your plants.
For our soil mix, we used a generic brand of organic soil, but any other soil could work just fine. But if you could use organic soil, that would be great.
To further enhance our soil, we added perlite to improve water retention and aeration.
Things Needed and Simple Steps:
- 2x Pallet Collar (they are stackable)
- Enough cardboard to cover the area where your raised bed goes with some excess around the raised bed
- Cardboard will provide light exclusion for the weeds to grow and that’s why you want some excess even around your raised bed
- Put some wooden branches at the bottom
- Add twigs, ideally apple tree but almost any twigs work
- Add spoiled hail, grass trimmings, food scraps
- Add a top layer of soil (any organic soil works fine)
- Add perlite for aeration (optional)
- Horse manure if it’s available in your area
- Worm casting (optional)
- Comfrey as we have it growing around the garden, nettles could also work
- Cover the cardboard around your raised bed with wood chips as they help nurture the life in your soil
- You can walk over it to flatten out the materials and it will be ready to plant up immediately!
comfrey
worm casting
spoil hail
woodchips
cardboard
twig branches
perlite
top soil
horse manure
Benefits of a Raised Bed Hugelkultur:
Improved soil fertility:
The decaying wood adds nutrients to the soil, promoting healthy plant growth.
Water retention:
Hugelkultur beds retain moisture, reducing the need for frequent watering.
Minimal maintenance:
Once established, hugelkultur beds require less maintenance than traditional gardens.
Sustainable gardening:
Hugelkultur utilizes organic materials that would otherwise go to waste, making it an eco-friendly gardening method.
Creating your own raised bed garden is super easy, and it’s a fun and rewarding way to start growing your own food. I hope you’re inspired to start your own gardening journey and I can’t wait to see what plants and veggies you’ll grow in your new raised beds.
Happy growing!
