Hugelkultur Raised Garden Beds | How to Start

Why Growing Your Own is Better

Penelope and I have had a garden in our backyard for years. Now that we have a little one acre slice of the Garden of Eden out on Canada’s east coast, we’re growing our own produce in a much bigger way and we’re setting our sights on becoming food self-sufficient.

Growing your own food has numerous benefits that make it a much better option than buying food from the store. First and foremost, growing your own food allows you to have complete control over the cultivation process, ensuring that no harmful chemicals or pesticides are used. This means that the food you grow is healthier and safer for consumption.

Additionally, growing your own food can save you money in the long run, as you won’t have to spend as much on grocery bills. It also provides a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment, as you have actively participated in the process of producing your own food.

Furthermore, growing your own food reduces your carbon footprint, as it eliminates the need for transportation and packaging that comes with store-bought produce. It also promotes sustainability and self-sufficiency, as you are less reliant on external sources for your food supply. Overall, growing your own food is a more sustainable, cost-effective and healthy option compared to buying food from the store.

Hugelkultur Raised Garden Beds

Hugelkulture is a technique of building raised garden beds by burying wood and other organic materials under a layer of soil. This creates a fertile and moist environment for plants, as well as a way to recycle waste and sequester carbon. In this blog post, I will show you how to start a hugelkulture raised garden on your homestead or in your backyard or community space.

The first step is to gather the materials you will need. You will need some large pieces of wood, such as logs, branches or pallets. These will form the base of your hugelkulture bed.

You will need some smaller pieces of wood, such as twigs, leaves or straw to fill in the gaps between the larger pieces and add more organic matter. On top you add soil, compost, manure or other amendments to cover the wood layer. Finally, you will need some plants or seeds to grow on your hugelkulture bed.

The second step is to choose a location for your hugelkulture bed. You can make it as big or as small as you want, depending on the space you have and the amount of materials you have. You can also shape it however you like, such as a mound, a rectangle or a circle. The ideal location is one that gets plenty of sun and has good drainage. You can also use hugelkulture to create terraces on slopes or contour lines on hills.

The third step is to build your hugelkulture bed. You can start by digging a trench or a hole where you want your bed to be. This will help anchor the wood and create more space for water retention. You can then fill the trench or hole with the large pieces of wood, making sure they are snug and stable. You can then add the smaller pieces of wood on top, filling in any gaps and creating air pockets.

Our area is really rocky so I did not dig a base. We simply laid cardboard down in the rectangular shape we wanted. The cardboard base will help to keep the weeds down. Once the cardboard is down in the desired shape of the bed you can start laying the logs down. We are surrounded by thick bush so we have an abundance of fallen trees. In the image above you can see that we have two beds already covered with potato plants left in the field after harvest. The third bed is at the stage where we’re still gathering logs to form the base.

You can then cover the wood layer with soil, compost, manure or other amendments. We used dried patato plants from the field behind us. You can then plant your plants or seeds on top of the soil layer, choosing ones that suit your climate and preferences.

The fourth step is to enjoy your hugelkulture bed. You will notice that your plants will grow faster and healthier than in conventional beds, as they benefit from the nutrients and moisture released by the decomposing wood. You will also notice that your hugelkulture bed will require less watering and weeding than conventional beds, as the wood acts as a sponge and a mulch. Your new hugelkulture bed will attract more wildlife and biodiversity, as it creates a habitat for insects, worms, fungi and birds.

Hugelkulture is a simple and effective way to create raised garden beds that are productive, sustainable and beautiful. By following these steps, you can start your own hugelkulture raised garden and enjoy the benefits of this ancient technique.

I hope you have enjoyed this content on how to start your new hugelkultur raised garden. If you have questions or comments I’d love to hear from you in the ‘Leave a Reply’ section below.

Grant with Elijah and Malachi