A Healthy Garden Bed Need Not Cost a Lot — Some Dying Wood and Food Waste Are All You Need

When the wood begins to die, all the sugars, nutrients, and carbon-rich matter trapped inside it become available to the surrounding ecosystem. The dying wood becomes a source of life, Nature Today explains. An ancient German method, known as “hügelkultur,” utilizes the fascinating science of dying wood to create raised garden beds. If you’re one of those gardeners who are often worried that their garden soil is not fertile enough, hügelkultur is for you.

What is Hügelkultur?

Hügelkultur, pronounced 'hoo-gul-culture,' is a no-dig horticulture method that utilizes the nutrients and water retention capabilities of rotting wood to create mound-style, self-fertilizing beds. Also known by terms like “mound culture,” “hill culture,” or “hill mound,” hügelkultur is a budget-friendly permaculture technique. Permaculture, according to Greenly, refers to the concept of “utilising land, resources, people and the environment in a manner that doesn't produce any waste.”

The method involves stacking and layering piles of old, decaying wood and other garden prunings to design soil-covered mounds, forming raised beds that take care of themselves. Over time, the wood acts like a sponge and water retainer. As it dies slowly, it reduces the need to water the plants while also releasing nutrients to feed the plant for months to come. Originally, it was born out of necessity. 

German farmers in the Middle Ages were distressed because their soil was not fertile enough. They needed a way to improve the fertility of the soil so they could grow plants, per Olle Gardens. They ended up inventing this technique that not only makes the soil fertile but also offers better drainage. “While traditional beds are typically filled with a mix of topsoil and compost, hugelkultur beds incorporate wood and other organic materials. This creates a self-fertilizing system that improves soil fertility over time,” explains Family Handyman. 

Materials needed for a hügelkultur bed

The primary ingredient is, of course, some chips or logs of decomposing wood. Experts at Family Handyman say you can start with “untreated, natural wood” and then move on to include materials like twigs, fallen branches, logs, chopped pieces of tree trunks, and compostable items like vegetable peelings, leaves, and grass clippings. Reddit user u/QAgirl94 utilized chicken bedding and food scraps to create a hügelkultur bed for growing tomatoes and beans. Another user, u/tan_blue, recommends adding a wire mesh under the logs to keep the digging rodents out of the bed.

Choosing a location

Pick a sunny spot, Ross Hulstein, owner of landscaping company Enviroscapes, shared with DenGarden. Another tip is to set up the bed from north to south. “Since hügelkultur beds are mounded rather than flat, placing them east to west means one side will always be in the shade,” he explains. “This might only be useful in very sunny climates, or if you want to create a cooler, more shaded area. Otherwise, east to west isn’t the best setup,” Hulstein explained.

Setting up the basal layers

Once the location is fixed, it’s time to outline the layout. The first layer of the mound should consist of logs and large branches. According to Family Handyman, the height of this bed’s trench doesn’t matter because hügelkultur is a permaculture technique. And the width should be about three to six feet. The next layer comprises wood chips and rotting logs, followed by a layer of organic matter such as compost, nitrogen-rich greens, and food waste. Top these layers with a generous blanket of soil.

Choosing the plants

Try to choose plants that have shallow root systems so less nitrogen is pulled up from the soil. The list includes but is not limited to peas, peppers, beans, potatoes, cucumbers, zucchinis, onions, squash and strawberries, and ornamental plants like flowers or shrubs.