Hugelkultur – Is It Right for You! (What you didn’t know)

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Hugelkultur is right for people looking for a sustainable gardening technique that can keep plants well hydrated, soil healthy, offer more growing area, and put the dead tree trunks, logs, and branches to good use.

While many gardeners are accustomed to only a couple of gardening practices, it is important to experiment now and then with different gardening techniques that can offer additional benefits to you and your crops. Although Hugelkultur is a time-honored gardening practice, people have limited knowledge about it.

So, if you wish to try hugelkultur, here are a few things you should consider first and then decide whether it is right for you.  

Prerequisites for Building Hugel Beds

It would be best to have certain things and conditions before building hugel beds in your garden. Here is a list of all the prerequisites that will help you make hugel beds that work:

A Sunny Spot

Although hugel beds can work well even in partially shaded spots, they usually prefer sitting in a sunny spot. So, if you cannot find a bright spot, you should consider filling it with crops that can thrive even in dappled or partial shade. Some nice options include arugula, bok choi, lettuce, spinach, and scallions.

And while you are picking the perfect spot for your hugel beds, be sure that the typical size for hugels is around 8×4 feet. Also, you need to clear the site if it is weedy or if there is grass. You can mow and cover the area with wood chips to help suppress growth.

Digging Tools

While there are no-dig hugel beds, you must dig up shallow pits to build those typical hugel beds. You need tools like shovels, spades, garden forks, and trowels. You can make the trench around 12 to 18 inches deep. Also, ensure the beds are narrow enough, around 4 feet across. This will ensure that you can easily reach the center.

Woody Material

You would need sufficient woody materials like logs, downed trees, branches, and twigs to fill the dug-out area. It is recommended that you put a mix of both hard and softwoods. So, you must have access to both in sufficient quantities.

Organic Material and Mulch

After filling the trench with wood, you must top it up with grass, grass clippings, leaves, hay, straw, manure, and compost. As a gardener, these can be easily accessible to you. When you finish the organic material, you can top off the bed with a layer of mulch and around 3 inches of topsoil.

Suppose you don’t have an idea about mulch. I have a video about proven garden mulch ideas. You can watch it below.

Things to Consider While Building Hugel Beds

Now that you know what element to build hugel beds consider other things. The following list will help you get a better idea if hugelkultur is the right option for you:

Hugel Beds Should Be Prepared in Advance

For the best results, it is recommended that you should prepare your hugel beds well in advance and let them rest for a few months, preferably during the winter. This way, your hugel beds will be ready for planting during the springtime.

So, it is better to have some time to spare before planting. However, this does not mean that you sit idle during this time. Well, a gardener can never really take a day off. You can use this time for other productive tasks, like creating a border for these beds.

They Require a lot of Effort and Determination (Initially)

Hugelkultur does require a lot of time, effort, and determination, especially while building. Right from digging up the pit to hauling wood logs, building hugels can seem to be an exhausting task. But once you successfully have your beds, you enjoy all the benefits that may last for decades.

So, for a gardener, they can be considered as a long-term investment.

The Mound Will Settle

Air pockets will form as the wood logs underneath break down, and thus, the mound will start settling. So, do not be alarmed if the hugel beds seem to sink. However, if you want them to maintain a certain height, you can consider initially building them a little taller.

Hugel Beds Are Inviting to Wildlife

Their height and structure make hugels attractive to deer, groundhogs, and foxes (maybe a little more than you would prefer). So, it is better to be prepared to lose some of your products to them. A better way to deal with this is by considering it a contribution to nature.

Types of Hugelkultur

There are several different approaches for hugelkultur. Each of them is unique in its way and can offer other benefits. Here is detailed information about all the possible variations to help you pick the right one for you:

Small/Medium Beds Above Ground

This is essentially a no-dig hugelkultur technique. So, instead of digging a pit, you can put the woody material on the ground before adding organic matter and soil. These beds are pretty small in comparison to the ones that require digging. Thus, they would not require a lot of wood and soil as well.

So, this can be an excellent option if you have limited access to wood logs. However, keep in mind that these hugel beds also store lesser water.

Raised Garden Beds

We are all aware of the trendy raised beds. But these can also be combined with hugelkultur. All you need to do is to build a regular raised bed with wooden sides, but you can add wood logs and debris to it before you fill it up with compost and soil. These can be a great option if you are looking for hugel beds that look ‘normal.’

However, you will be unable to avail all the benefits of hugel beds, such as more growing areas or the ability to create different microclimates.  

Partially Buried Beds

Hugelkultur allows choosing between buried beds or no-dig beds. But if you cannot decide, you can even partially plant beds. For this, you would not need any other soil. The soil that you just dug out can be used to cover up the woody material.

This technique also offers hugel beds at the same level as the current ground level. And since almost all the wood logs are buried, these hugel beds would remain well hydrated and require less frequent irrigation.

Large Beds Above Ground

You should consider building these beds if you plan to grow two crops simultaneously. As the name suggests, these are large in width and height. But this is one of the reasons why they can create more extreme micro-climates and help you grow crops that demand different growing conditions.

However, it should be noted that the tops of these beds will remain dry compared to the bottom. So, you can grow crops that require more moisture at the lower part of the beds.

Slash Pile

If you have a lot of woody debris lying around and are looking for a way to put it to good use, this can be an excellent hugelkultur technique for you. These beds are typically just a pile of wood probably derived from fallen trees. You can pile them up and add soil, compost, and green leaves to build a hugel bed.

However, these may take up to a few years before they are productive and ready for planting.

FAQs on Hugelkultur – Is It Right for You! (What you didn’t know)

Does Hugelkultur Attract Termites?

Since hugelkultur employs wood that stores moisture, it may attract termites. But that being said, termites usually prefer standing dead trees. So, hugel beds that include buried wood logs and compost do not make for termites’ desirable home.

Why Should I Build Hugel Mounds? –

Hugelkultur can help make your soil more fertile and increase its water-retention capacity. Hugel beds can also create different micro-climates and offer more growing space. They are one of the most sustainable gardening techniques that employ dead wood logs and recycle them in the best way possible.

Is Hugelkultur More Effective in Urban Areas?

Hugelkultur is an excellent gardening strategy for individuals who live in urban regions because dwellings, especially gardens, are smaller. Hugel beds come with watering and fertilization systems, making them far more hassle-free and handy for city dwellers.

Conclusion on hugelkultur – is it right for you?

No matter which hugel bed variation you go with (except slash pile), be sure that you fill in all the cracks and gaps between the logs with the help of soil. This will reduce rodent issues and may help prevent the bed from settling.

I hope this information will help you know more about hugelkultur and whether it is right for you. And with so many approaches, at least one would tick all the right boxes for you. So, are you ready to begin your huge journey?

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