Hugelkultur (HOO-Gul-culture) Meaning Hill Culture or Hill Mound

8/13/2019 Hugelkultur (HOO-Gul-culture) Meaning Hill Culture or Hill Mound

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Hugelkultur(HOO-gul-culture) meaning hill culture or hill mound.

Instead of putting those branches, leaves and grass clippings in bags by the

curbside...build a hugel bed. Simply mound logs, branches, leaves, grass clippings,

straw, cardboard, petroleum-free newspaper, manure, compost or whatever other

biomass you have available, top with soil and plant your veggies.

The advantages of a hugel bed are many:

The gradual decay of wood is a consistent source of long-term nutrients for the plants. A

large bed might give out a constant supply of nutrients for 20 years (or even longer if you

use only hardwoods). The composting wood also generates heat which should extend the

growing season.

Soil aeration increases as those branches and logs break down...meaning the bed will be

no till, long term.

The logs and branches act like a sponge. Rainwater is stored and then released during

drier times. Actually you may never need to water your hugel bed again after the first

year (except during long term droughts).

Sequester carbon into the soil.

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elkultur http://www.inspirationgreen.com/hugelkultur.html

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On a sod lawn Sepp Holzer (hugelkultur expert) recommends cutting out the sod, digging

a 1 foot deep trench and filling the trench with logs and branches. Then cover the logs

with the upside down turf. On top of the turf add grass clippings, seaweed, compost,

aged manure, straw, green leaves, mulch, etc... From the Permaculture book by Sepp

Holzer. Via: Permaculture Magazine: permaculturetools.wikispaces.com.pdf

Hugel and traditional bed comparison. Cantaloupe plants from same seed packet. Hugel

bed on right was planted two weeks after traditional bed on left. By Marcella: saponaria-

wortsandall.blogspot.com

Hugel bed in Ontario, Canada.

By Travis Philp. Wood branches stacked 1 foot high.

greenshireecofarms.com


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Hugel bed in Ontario, Canada. As above.

Branches covered with manure mixed with hay, 4-6". Sod was packed into random

holes. greenshireecofarms.com

Hugel beds covered in lettuces.

www.richsoil.com/hugelkultur


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Hugelkultur - nice use of pallets around periphery.

By Mike Sved of northern Ontario.

www.permies.com

Steep hugel bed.

The more wood inside your hugelkutur, the less water it will need, possibly no

supplemental water after establishment. With size more heat will be generated andobviously it will last longer. www.shtfpreparedness.com


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Sepp Holzer recommends steep hugel beds to avoid compaction from increased pressure

over time. Steep beds mean more surface area in your garden for plants and the height

makes easy harvesting. The greater the mass, the greater the water-retention benefits.

Image from the Sepp Holzer's Permaculture. Via: Permaculture

Magazine: permaculturetools.wikispaces.com.pdf

A Sepp Holzer Hugelkultur garden.

www.krameterhof.at


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Sepp Holzer uses the terrain, ponds, swales and hugelkulture to direct water to where it

is needed on this Montana farm. www.holzeragroecology.com

Hugelkulture. Height can be decreased by partially burying the bed. Final bed size 75

long, 4' wide trench, finished size 6 at the base, separated by 2 access paths. Wood

height is 8-12" on tilled clay, finished size 30" high from bottom of trench. Rob is making

beds for potatoes and he feels they will last up to ten years. Interesting

read: onestrawrob.com


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Hunderculture with frame.

newwavegardeningexperiment.wordpress.com

Hugel bed dug in clay with logs put in vertically, next branches and lots of wood

chips. Top 6" will be wood chips and dirt. This bed will store water and give nutrients for

many years to come. More: lowcostvegetablegarden.blogspot.com


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Small scale hugel bed.

As raised beds tend to be a bit drier than traditional beds, a hugel bed is a good solution

for a raised bed in a dry climate. homesteadingdownsized.com

Hugel beds in process by Caleb Larson, Montana.

The drier your area, the more wood you need to hold moisture.

www.permies.com


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Hugel beds by Jon in Idaho.

www.permies.com

Hugel Bed by WSU Master Recycler Composters, Lewis County, Washington. The stones

are sure to keep extra heat in the bed. Step by step Images: lewiscountyrecycles.org


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Straw bale gardens require less soil, less water and hold heat. As the straw breaks down

nutrients feed the plants. Combining a straw surround with a hugel interior, topped by

lasagna layering is an excellent idea for an area with poor quality

soil. naturespilgrim.com

Straw bale hugel bed by Jamie in Wisconsin.

An instant nutrient rich border for your hugelkultur.

You can also do a hugelkultur right on top of the sod.

If excess soil is not available sheet mulch or lasagna garden on top of the

logs/branches. smalltowngardens.blogspot.com


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Haygulkulture - using hay instead of wood will give you a bed that supplies moisture and

nutrients for about five years instead of the log's ten to twenty, plus. By Gerald

Benard. www.permies.com

Hugel bed in Ontario, Canada (June 28) by Tim Burrows.

Tim surrounded his very tall hugel bed in pallets!

Read more about it here: permies.com


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One plant hugelkultur by Eric Markov.

Start small! Whenever you plant add some wood logs and compost. One could also treat

an old below ground level tree stump as a hugelkultur, as the old stump will bring up

water and decompose, adding nutients to the soil. lowcostvegetablegarden.blogspot.com

Sheet mulching(lasagna gardening) is like composting in place. Above: just a suggestionas to sheet mulching layers. Nitrogen-rich material such as fresh grass clippings or green

leaves put right on the hugelkultur wood would help jump start the composting process.

Could also include seaweed, straw, dead leaves, leaf mold, etc...

The first year of break down means the wood (and fungi) steal a lot of the nitrogen out

of the surrounding environment, so adding nitrogen during the first year or planting

crops that add nitrogen to the soil (like legumes) or planting species with minimal

nitrogen requirements is necessary, unless there is plenty of organic material on top of

the wood. After the wood absorbs nitrogen to its fill, the wood will start to break down

and start to give nitrogen back in the process. In the end you will be left with a beautiful

bed of nutrient rich soil.

Tree types that work well in hugelkultur:

Hard woods break down slowly and therefore your hugel bed will last longer, hold water

for more years and add nutrients for more years. But soft woods are acceptable as well,

a softwood bed will just disintegrate quicker. Mixing woods with soft woods and branches


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on top, to give off nutrients first, and hardwoods on bottom, sounds like a plan if you

have access to multiple types of wood. Yet the newly decomposing soft woods at top will

eat up a lot of nitrogen at first, so compensate for that.

Woods that work best:

Alders, apple, aspen, birch, cottonwood, maple, oak, poplar, willow (make sure it is

dead).

Trees types that work okay:

Black cherry (use only rotted), camphor wood (well aged), cedar/juniper/yew (anti-

microbial/anti-fungal, so use only at very bottom or unless already well aged. Cedarshould be broken down before new plant roots reach it), eucaplyptus (slightly

anti-microbial), osage orange (exceptionally resistant to decay), Pacific

yew (exceptionally resistant to decay), pine/fir/spruce (tannins and sap), red mulberry

(exceptionally resistant to decay).

Tree types to avoid:

Black locust (will not decompose), black walnut (juglone toxin), old growth redwood

(heartwood will not decompose and redwood compost can prevent seed germination).

Resources:

1- Hugelkultur: The ultimate raised garden beds by Paul Wheaton

2- Sepp Holzer's Permaculture, Chelsea Green Publishing, 2011.

3- The Art and Science of Making a Hugelkultur Bed Transforming Woody Debris

into a Garden Resource: permaculture.org.au

4- Hugelkultur: Composting Whole Trees With Ease: permaculturenews.org

5- Tall beds built by Sepp: ecology.md

6- Step by step backyard photos: knoxvillepermacultureguild.com

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Picture#2

Reply #7 on :Tue November 05, 2013, 10:40:50

opps :) forgot to say which picture:

it's sepp%20fb%20h.jpg the ninth from the top. Nice article!

Picture

Reply #6 on :Tue November 05, 2013, 10:35:27

Hi there, this picture is not about sepp holzer's place. I've been there in 2011 and it's the

Jagawirt, a restaurant + veg garden+pigs etc, that uses permaculture. I have to say in Austria

and Germany the hugelbkulture is wide spread and used. Very interesting. In sepp Holzer's

place the terraces were abundantly covered by these high beds, and flourishing.

Re: Hugelkultur

Reply #5 on :Wed October 09, 2013, 09:06:30

The Hugelkultur.png that is credited to Permaculture Magazine: permaculturetools.wikispacesis actually - and directly f rom - the Permaculture book by Sepp Holtzer, page 40.

That is where the photo credit should be....

Information

Reply #4 on :Tue October 01, 2013, 18:01:19

Thank ou for suh useful information!

Re: Hugelkultur

Reply #3 on :Tue October 01, 2013, 16:14:29

Great ideas, indeed. I think you mean to say "Hgelkultur" from German "Hgelkultur" (hill

culture). Note the Umlaut!

Novice gardener

Reply #2 on :Sat September 28, 2013, 05:48:28

I've just come across your ideas here, and am setting out, at 58, to begin my first veg plot! - I

think your ideas are an excellent starting point for me! Thanks.

Article

Reply #1 on :Fri September 27, 2013, 13:08:40

Have been a life long gardener, and have never seen this type of bedding prior..would be

perfect for my south Louisiana beds due to the high water level and sandy soil..Will definitely

start one this fall.

Building Blog Additional Posts


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Hugelkultur (HOO-Gul-culture) Meaning Hill Culture or Hill Mound