The Making of a Hugelkultur Garden Bed

[@kathysoccermom3751]

I am such a novice. I made a hugel bed last year in a problem area of my yard. Yeah, what a success. I must say that I wasn't expecting much. It was a very (VERY) dry year and this was the only garden section of my yard that thrived. I am hooked. You don't have to be perfect. I put some old logs, some green sticks, fire ashes, cardboard and a thin topsoil layer.

[@danielg4135]

I gave permaculture seminars in China. My participants' raised beds (Hügelbeete) were very successful. The one we built together during our seminar yielded likewise a rich harvest.

[@ShxiTHawK]

I think the rocks might have been a mistake..

[@andrewboddy2791]

'Hugel' means 'hill' or 'mound'... if you confuse the terminology you fail to communicate effectively. There are physical advantages of the mound format. I have also buried a lot of organic material as you have done... but it is not a 'hugel'... just buried logs... non-the-less I wish you great harvests.

[@lxmzhg]

I believe as long as you have it layered, with logs on the bottom, then twigs, leaves, etc. you will effectively get the same results. I've seen a raised bed Hugelkulture. Growing on a mound may have certain advantages, but it has disadvantages as well.

[@steviemack9]

@@lxmzhg what are the disadvantages?

[@nereidapr1]

This is great for dry areas. I use small pieces of wood under the dirt in my balcony plants because in the summer it get up to 100 degrees and this helps keep a little moist in the dirt. Great video

[@medsurgcutie]

This was an awesome video. Thank you for showing us your method of using this technique. I think something like this would go over better in a conservative suburban neighborhood such as I live than a huge mound. I love the huge mound I'm just not sure my neighbors would. This is a great way to still reap the benefits of a hugelkuture.

[@danielgillieron4265]

I offer permaculture trainings in China and work with a small farmer. With the participants I create the raised beds (Hügelkultur) manually. A rather slow way to build them (about 6 meters' length per working day), but the result is fabulous. Compared with the level compacted soil around, the raised beds are giving a much higher yield and you don't have to water your plants or provide them with natural fertiliser. At the beginning you have a lot of work, but afterwards you don't. Just make sure to cover your raised bed with a thick layer of mulching that will prevent many "weeds" (that mostly are light germinators) from appearing and will protect the soil from drying out or from erosion. Our next training is to build a pond without concrete or pond liner. It's simple using Sepp Holzer's techniques.

[@johnlarkin9594]

Hi Daniel. I'm really interested in this pond with No liners, please can you tell me where I can find out more. Southampton UK

[@skoalmen143]

Great vid. That music is crazy relaxing!

[@Vector_Ze]

This approach is new to me. Last year was my first attempt at home gardening, so obviously I still have much to learn. I will note: in my part of the country, that rock layer would cost a good deal of money. Our biggest rocks are measured in the millimeter range, LOL, otherwise known as sand. But, the sand drains well, so I don't suppose leaving out the rock layer will be a problem.

[@permacultureIdeas]

Thanks for the positive feedback, J! The garden is on the bottom of quite a steep incline, which is the main reason I put it in that spot, to prevent the annual wet season pool of water in that area. I added the rocks to feel confident it wouldn't happen. The wooden material will absorb a lot of the water, which will in turn keep the soil moist but the excess should drain away (hopefully!). The reason I dug down was a mixture of both aesthetics and the drainage issue - also reach-ability.

[@rightthere5438]

Great vid. That music is so beautiful really really beautiful

[@HopiTrails1]

Id be interested in seeing this garden now??

[@jimbos.online]

If the idea of the logs is to retain water for use by the garden why then would you want to put rocks for "drianage"? I heard that the rocks are a "heat sink" to give heat loving plants the warmth needed for good growth. ???????

[@simpleman8961]

I've spent a lot of time getting the rocks out of my garden. Not about to put them back in. You don't want dry logs. You want the logs n sticks to hold water. Is half their purpose.

[@ColettezJamz75]

john jeavons mentions that in "how to grow your own vegetables"...in Kenya....the farmers triple dig so the garden can absorb all the water during the wet season.....they don't water again and crops still get harvested (paraphrased from book) ...i am thinking that just 12 inches of composted soil or Mel's Mix on top of hugelkultur logs will be good enough...what an awesome solution to drought concerns.

[@grannybirdbirdsong1274]

This looks very interesting, especially since I live in an area prone to drought. I would however be interested to see the garden bed after it has been planted and then again a couple months later as well as actual yield of harvest to get an idea of the working advantage of this method.

[@Beatnikzombie]

I'm currently adding on to my garden area and building a hugelkultur hill. The area will be an orchard and all of my medicinal herbs. I'm calling the area The Farmacy.

[@monikawiedmann8594]

You are right that it is German for mound. My aunt used to build these when they were all the rage in Germany, but hers were raised and she never dug into the soil either and her wood was mainly twigs, nothing bigger.

[@heidimilis7002]

i'm just interested in follow up ..any updates after 3 years ?

[@Pepper5655]

I have many tree limbs around my place and have been wanting to build a hugelkultur bed for some time now, but having to dig a hole first frankly I don't see that happening, I may get my son to help me drag the tree limbs and pile them up and then I can pour lots of leaves and the stuff I clean out of my chicken coop to try and cover it up even get some hay to cover the pile with. I may get one built like that way slowly over time. Thnx for sharing

[@Shetasen]

***** You don't have to dig a hole for them, you can simply pile them up, and bound dirt compost straw etc over on top of it. Many people just do a pile up because they may have large trees or logs that are already in a good spot and just do what I said above.

[@33underdogg]

Loved this video. It was short and to the point not like 20 min. videos to explain the same thing

[@obdurate111]

evantspurrell, You are correct. With some soil types, (like mine) the use of rocks in this manner would make a non draining salty bog,

[@loribradford2129]

I wonder if any other Hugelkultur gardeners are having trouble with moles? The moles seem to think my garden beds are perfect. They can dig between the logs and twigs, tunnel up, eat my carrots and potatoes and go back down again. Darn things. I have been gardening with Hugelkulture method and reading about them for over 4 years and NO ONE has ever mentioned Moles.

[@carolkeele2839]

Lori, I have huge problems with moles and voles! I have learned the easiest way to discourage their munching is to add hair, all kinds , to the garden. They hate getting hair in their mouths! Me Too! So I go to the salon and ask for hair, I nestle my plant roots in it or bulbs in it then into the ground it goes. I keep most of them, it really works. I save the hair from hair brushes and use that too. Animal hair, human hair, they hate it all. Also, save the netted bags the fruits and such are sold in, that also discourages them as well. I have even planted bulbs in plastic colanders and then planted them in the garden.

[@mjb12141963]

You can also be assured by the knowledge that rocks and chunks of concrete are used to create dry wells for water run off around buildings and basement sump pumps.

[@permacultureIdeas]

Hugelkultur beds can be built as long as you wish, so if the bed is prepared wide enough (2 - 3 metres) you could grow trees through the middle with climbing crops going up the trees, then herbaceous plants around it. Kind of like a micro-forest growing in a straight line. The bed should be fertile for 20 years of growth, hence a perfect soil environment for trees.

[@sims2bavaroTd]

Had 2 huge Hugelcultures for years and just dozed them down.. This was designed by Sep for extreme cliff farming. If you don't live on a cliff plant right in the ground..

[@НемањаКостић-ц2я]

Can we see an update on this hugel garden bed? No point in implementing your way of doing it if we don't know has it worked...

[@joelbenoitthewanderingbiso4976]

check out, Self Sufficient Me, on youtube, he has some great video on this and many other gardening.

[@interestingyoutubechannel1]

hi, thanks for the great video! i was thinking of making a hugelkultur bed underneath a 'complete texturizing double dig'. so lots of wood, green material, then on top, 24 inches of aerated mix of compost with garden soil, then more soil/compost/fertiliser mix on top few inches. if i plant some deep rooted crops on there, it might make a substantial difference by combining these two phenomenal methods. what do you think?

[@briankane6547]

I forgot to click "Comment" after my 6-7 point. Can't be bothered to watch/repeat. One I do remember, another commenter said similar ... It looks more like a Mesa than a Hügel. However it bears a strong resemblance to a "Lasagne Garden" & I've been building some raised beds lately AND have some logs left over from a felled birch I may "Hügelise" the next one to see how it goes. Certain differences due to lack of Cow Muck & chickens will be worked around ;¬)

[@ericmartinsr]

Very cool.

[@frodehau]

Nice guitar!

[@Jacobsbrew]

I would be concerned the logs and sticks would rob nitrogen from the soil. I could see this done with far older/rotted wood, with aged mulch on top of the top soil though.

[@TheVegetablegardener]

So how is it doing with the plants in place?

[@Rugerrav]

Over the years when wood rots out, it collapses, if you plant a tree, don't they end up in a depression and you cannot add soil to the bark around the base? A garden you can add more soil, not so with a tree?

[@tribalwind]

nice work on the bed and video! .one observation, the rocks seem to defeat the purpose of a hugelkultur, you Want the wood beneath to become waterlogged sponges,not for the water to drain away. they'll get filled in with broken down matter eventually though so it shouldn't affect the system.

[@PsychicIsaacs]

Woodchips from the chopping pile instead of full logs works even better!

[@joelbenoitthewanderingbiso4976]

Not on the bottom, they will break down to quick, that is why full logs go on the bottom, cause they last for years, the small debris like wood chips, would go on after the big stuff.

[@josephbagofcarrots168]

I have never seen one like this. They are usually built on top of the ground creating a berm.

[@dechenangmo7327]

What else we could use instead of branches, I am interested to make Hugel bed, but I am belongs to that area where we don’t have that much trees.

[@Rhinoch8]

Dig several swales on contour to drain the water into the soil! No need to water in summer anymore!

[@leokolev]

I'm sure this is a good idea, but you don't need so much wood. 1/6 of what you put will be just fine! And this must be dried wood with diameter maximum 5".

[@StillOnTrack]

Cool video and great hugelkultur bed. Just curious though, why did you need the rocks for drainage?. Won't the big logs and sticks do that job well enough? Or do you have particularly poor drainage on your land normally and need to be extra sure? And any particular reason you chose to dig down to make a flat bed rather than build a mound above ground like Sepp Holzer? Or is it just an aesthetic preference?

[@nash0815]

Sorry for this (most likely) incredibly stupid question but... can you grow anything on this Hugelkultur (which i assume comes from the german word for Hügel -> Mound)? I'm such a gardening and farming novice.. it's not even funny :D

[@judeirwin2222]

For cripes sake. It's just a raised bed with drainage material and organic stuff for worms. But if you must write about it, at least spell it with the required umlaut over the "u". Also, unless your poultry are staging a palace revolution it us "chicken coop", not "chicken coup".

[@zepguwlthistle7924]

well, do you feel better now little miss correction nazi?

[@dwightturner3070]

Livin' the dream.

[@andy6043]

I dont get the stones part, but every situation is different. hugelkuture can be used in swamps with no digging.

[@generalredneck6998]

I personally think it’s a stupid idea to put the rocks in there like that; 1) it’ll get plenty enough drainage with the wood in there; 2) if you go to till it Up for whatever reason the rocks will just be a big pain in the ass; 3) it won’t help you any when you’re going to grow root vegetables like potatoes; 4) the only time you should use rocks when gardening is when you’re container gardening to help with the container drainage, and this should be the only exception to use rocks in your garden, except for the fact you can use rock dust but that’s only to help with making better compost for yourself; 5) rocks can get pretty hot pretty fast so it’s not all that good during the warm months of the year 6) there’s no Nutrition added to the plants 7) rocks are just a pain in the ass to remove when you’re digging them up and moving them 8)this’ll tie in with all of them, rocks don’t decompose The point is that it would be easier and a better idea to use rocks as a pathway if anything in your garden. But this is just my opinion, do whatever works best for you

[@gaurikaumudipituwala3663]

How is the now hugale bed

[@ZWATER1]

Ty

[@bjohnston3659]

As I understand it, the vast majority of fruits and vegetables have roots that never go deeper than a few inches. Why do I want to spend hours of backbreaking labour to dig a pit full of this rich soil that nothing but trees and really aggressive weeds will ever get near? In the end the whole bed surface was only a few square feet and that limits the number of live plants.

[@mamamaymeviola]

I could be misinformed, but isn't part of the point of a hugelkultur for it to be a raised garden bed in a mound or hill?

[@dstmars1]

How does this even work without air getting to the logs they won't break down into compost?

[@nunyabiznis817]

Everything breaks down in soil. It will just take a longer time, which is good since you don;t want all those logs completely decaying within just one year.

[@interestingyoutubechannel1]

thanks :)

[@DaRealFacts]

Call before you dig!!!! even if it is on your property as utilities have easements that can cut right through your property

[@michael61png]

With soil that good looking... maybe Hügelkultur is over the top

[@erikmetzger5514]

Die Steine sind überhaupt nicht erforderlich, sie vollkommen überflüssig

[@I_know_it_I_sew_it_I_grow_it]

Wow! I just throw everything on the top of the ground.

[@enrgylife]

That's the proper way of doing this method

[@rowenacat]

Is there any advantage to digging the hole first? Cheers

[@xic1]

I sort of did a garden this way but I took a lot of short cuts. Hopefully it works anyways. I can't afford to replace all the soil so I am hoping to build the soil mostly by decomposing tree trunks and branches. The soil at my location is mostly clay and water does not penetrate the ground very well. My reason for digging a hole first is so that when it rains the water from the surrounding ground will flow into the garden bed. I then filled the part above the ground with organic soil from Home Depot. I am hoping that the decomposing tree trunks, branches, and leaves end up storing rain water that will be wicked up during the dry weather. Cheers from Texas.

[@rowenacat]

Ommmm thanks! I finished my hugulkultur and I did end up following the method you said with digging first. Currently growing broccoli and cauliflower which are doing just nicely.

[@madkiss8017]

i do all of them except the rocks

[@HussamHawwa]

Constructed first one in Lebanon :) anybody knows the musical track played here?

[@0Sirk0]

could've built it much higher, would've been my only change

[@dylanharding1081]

Alright there! Have you found out about Skavel Mushroom Growing For Newbies (Have a quick look on google cant remember the place now)? Ive read some incredible things about it and my work buddy achieved excellent results with it.

[@briankane6547]

As they occur:- 1. I doubt I have more than 30 cm = 1' of workable topsoil before I hit boulder strewn sub-soil. Soil drains VERY well now. 2. I'd probably have to steal rocks from the beach (Legal?) 3. And a wood for dead trees. 4. My Rasp canes would make "sticks. 5. Don't know anybody with a chicken Coop. 6. I have a better chance of horse muck than cow? 7. Looks more like a Mesa than a Hügel. ;¬)

[@squarebynature]

Who is the artist on the soundtrack to your video?

[@Pwecko]

It's called Song for John in D by Kurt Vile. See the ad under the video to the right? Try getting Shazam. It's great for this kind of thing.

[@squarebynature]

thanx!!!

[@Pwecko]

Bernat Ferragut You're welcome.

[@broadwayFan28]

This did not work for me. I suspect if you did everything except the buried wood and logs, it would be successful. try composting first. Maybe it was the wood. I was using mesquite dried for 6 months in various diameters.

[@JustinQuilling]

The wood pile should be ideally about five or six feet high. There needs to be a slope to catch the sunlight and warm it up and help rot the wood which in turn eventually gives a spongelike rotten log core that retains water. It will be several years before my garden is tall enough or rotted enough, but you can check out my vids to see what I have accomplished in one growing season since March 2014. Sepp Holzer's videos gave me the idea, and this exact tube video gave me the inspiration to make my own. Thank you Permaculture Ideas!

[@broadwayFan28]

Justin Quilling I have seen where the power company clears right of way and knock down trees and brush and moves them into piles 5' to 10' tall. Years later, these piles are collapsing but few things grow from it. My thoughts were that it was really depleting the N to break down. How is the hugelkulter different?

[@JustinQuilling]

Using freshly cut logs will deplete the nitrogen the first few years, but then the reverse will eventually happen. I used already rotten and old dried logs in my hugelkultur mound along with any branches, local plants, grass or weeds I could collect, covered in dirt in such a way that no parts of the logs were exposed to the air. I guess it must depend on how the wood is stacked, the age of the wood and how completely it is buried. Watch some of my videos and you can see the whole process. Did I produce more food than a conventional garden? No, but I fought flooding, deer, wild boar, and massive banana slugs by the droves all summer and had a blast doing so.

[@mikemcghee5413]

+broadwayFan28 I don't like the idea of the logs either. I would have used grass clippings or something that is finer or breaks down faster.

[@paulmurphy612]

Your captions cannot be seen.

[@aslmad1]

damn it - if i wanted to reaad i would get a book of the shelf

[@gtiming7490]

I just discovered Simply Love Gardening (search on Google). I got everything I needed from one place.

[@msnannapearl]

I would let the chickens stir it up!

[@pk-pj4sz]

This is not optimel

[@evantspurrell]

rocks don't help drainage derrrrr

[@PlasmaBurns]

putting rocks between the garden soil and the hard packed clay earth allows the garden soil water to drain to the rocks rather than get stopped in the garden soil by the clay. This allows good drainage from your gardening soil by giving the water a place to collect and slowly drain into the hard surface beneath it all, Rather than being trapped in the soil against the clay deeper down causing rot and disease from inadequate drainage (drying).... derrrrr? sigh...

[@kxish]

***** personally I would do without the rocks. I'd want to capture any moisture in the logs and not let it run off. The wet logs with slowly wick off through the season and reduce irrigation demand.

[@Flashlax19]

Yes they do genius

[@Sgtassburgler]

What is the name of the music in this video?

[@bubblebobbles]

+Complete Bagel found it, its 'Kurt Vile - Song For John D'

[@Sgtassburgler]

Awesome, thanks man.

[@laurachase2762]

bubblebobbles !

[@inesrichter4747]

Schrift leider nicht lesbar

[@nicm6320]

This is so much not Hugelkultur :D

[@Victor-jp7tb]

Stones at bottom are for nothing!

[@HocusPocusist]

too many rocks...

[@mortishaallagebordo7970]

it looks like waste of time...