You may have already discover the termpermaculture – the procedure of designing agricultural system that have the diversity , stability , and resilience of natural ecosystems . Permaculture is a verbatim contradiction in terms to traditional farming practices , which focus on monocropping and aggregative production . Within the umbrella of permaculture , there are many dissimilar glide slope that gardeners and farmers can employ to branch out their plots , increase outputs , and decrease the amount of time and resources that go into maintaining these systems . One of these glide path is known asHugelkultur .
Hugelkultur seam are an excellent direction to create a sustainable and diverse garden to create unopen - loop topology efficiency within your system and forestall supererogatory permissive waste .
Read More : Homesteading For Beginners – How To Get Started
What is a Hugelkultur Bed?
The word Hügelkultur is German for “ Hill Culture ” . The literal bed itself is similar to a raised garden bed , except much high because it ’s a garden that is build into a pile . The bottom layer of the bed is satisfy with buried logs to provide long - term aliment for the plants growing above .
These log usually come from branches , sticks , and logarithm that you are leave with after leap pruning . Instead of throwing them away , hugelkultur bed use them as carbon - rich sources of nutrients .
What are the Benefits of a Hugelkultur Bed?
The buried wood is what produce these beds so beneficial . Wood contains lignans , which is a carbon fibre compound that decomposes slowly , break down over a farseeing period of time . This create what ’s calledhumus , or decomposed organic matter , at the bottom of the beds [ 2 ] .
This rotting Sir Henry Joseph Wood hosts kingdom Fungi , bacteria , insects , worm , and microbial growth , all of which make nutrients for your plants . Humus is similar to mulch , except that since it feeds the plants from underneath , it encourages roots to extend to down and anchorman deep into the grunge , which leads to larger increase above ground .
The humus also helps take over and keep on water system , so you will actually have to irrigate your garden less often , therefore conserving resources . Many nurseryman who use this technique say that after the first yr , they never have to water their bed ever again .
Additionally , as the logs underneath the cumulus split down , it bring out heat , which warm up the soil . This allow your plant life to grow faster and larger .
The other benefit to hugelkultur beds is that they are no - dig . This is of import , because the less you have to touch your garden , the less likely you are to vex the complex ecosystems that take shape within the soil . Many nurseryman apply compost on their beds , but even the human action of moving the compost expose it to O which destroy nutrient . With this method , the compost stay under the bottom for years without hoo-hah .
How to Build a Hugelkultur Bed
Building a hugelkultur bed is relatively dewy-eyed . The first step is choosing what eccentric of wood you will expend to form the base of your beds . The good nutrient providers for your soil tend to come from the local surroundings , so this will change depending on where you live . That being say , hardwoods bust down more slowly , therefore supply nutrients for a longer period of prison term , which is preferable .
When you ’re first protrude , you may want to add some softer wood at the top of the pile , which will break-dance down faster and provide nutrients flop by to your plant . Having a miscellanea of Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree will also provide a good blend of nutrients to your garden .
There are , however , some trees you should avoid using because they can release toxin into the dirt , or turn your soil too acid . They include camphor wood , mordant locust , eucalypt , smutty walnut , Siberian Elm , California peppercorn tree , black cherry , and pretty much all true cedar varieties .
You will also postulate both immature and brown mulch , as well as pre - made compost to go on top of your logarithm layer .
To build your hugelkultur bed , you need to dig a trough in which you’re able to lay your log , which should be about thirty to sixty centimeters deep . The breadth is up to you , but keep in mind that the wider the bed , the taller it can be . The distinctive width is one to one and a half foot .
Next , you have to place your log into the trough . You want to get as much wood as you may in there without packing it too tightly . big tree diagram trunks , branches , and hardwoods go at the bottom , small twigs and sticks go at the top , and mulch and compost go on top of that .
Once you have put all your layer in , you incubate it with the dirt that you had ab initio removed when you dug the trough , and you are ready to begin planting .
Maintaining your Hugelkultur Bed
During the first year , you will need to irrigate your layer as the woods breaks down . Some experts also commend planting legumes in the first twelvemonth , since the rotting Natalie Wood uses up the nitrogen in the soil that the plants need to arise . Many legumes , on the other hired man , are excellent atfixing nitrogen , so they can compete , and raise well in that surround .
Over sentence , the rotting Ellen Price Wood will begin acting like a very effective sponger and will accommodate onto water for a very long time , which mean you will no longer have to irrigate your bed very frequently , if at all .
The seam you engraft in the first year can be used for many long time afterward , which importantly reduces the amount of work you will have to do on a steady basis [ 3 ] .
A hugelkultur bed is one of the most effectual way to recycle nutrients and riposte them to your soil . They are cracking for the surroundings because they want less input , are less clip - run through for you because they are very ego - sufficient , and they get beautiful , healthy crops .
Read next : How to construct a straw bale garden
