The Hügelkultur technique

Have you ever ever heard of a Hügelkultur? The identify means hill tradition (pronounced hoo-gul-culture) and it’s no odd raised mattress. It’s a no until technique that has been used for hundreds of years however it isn’t very well-known within the gardening neighborhood. It’s a raised mound or hill that has outstanding properties that improve in impact 12 months on 12 months. It’s extremely fertile, extraordinarily good at holding water, has extra floor space and is shockingly productive relating to rising many alternative fruits, flowers and greens.

How do you make a Hügelkultur? A hügelkultur has a easy design and is a lasagne like layering of supplies that’s constructed as much as kind a hill. So, if in case you have plenty of backyard waste corresponding to leaves wooden and garden clippings cluttering up the panorama don’t throw it out! Use it to create a enjoyable and rewarding Horticultural experiment. First you begin with digging a shallow trench (though this isn’t wanted) and inserting massive logs of wooden within the allotted house. As these break down, they’ll act as an enormous sponge and can provide your vegetation with water and wanted carbon for years or a long time to come back.

One of the best woods to make use of are apple, cherry, maple, oak, poplar, aspen and birch. The more durable the wooden the extra longevity the hügelkultur may have as they’ll break down slower. There are some woods you’ll want to keep away from which have toxins corresponding to black walnut or battle to decompose corresponding to redwoods and black locust.

As soon as the big logs are positioned you’ll then add progressively smaller logs, branches and sticks on prime. These will break down faster than the big logs and can serve the identical objective. These layers are additionally a implausible place for helpful funguses and critters to inhabit the soil and can a present moist breathable substrate to your vegetation to achieve all the way down to and thrive in. you’ll want to infill after this with some soil to assist break down the wooden and fill in any massive voids of house beneath.

Subsequent, we’ll lasagne layer on prime totally different natural supplies. Issues like straw, grass clippings, cardboard, leaves mulches and manure. Guarantee that in between each couple of layers you place skinny layer of topsoil. It would be best to make these layers not more than an inch or two thick. Create as many layers as you want and extra can at all times be added within the subsequent season. Some outdated and established hügelkulturs might be as tall as 5-6 ft.

Lastly you’ll want to cap off the hügelkultur with layer of topsoil that’s deep sufficient to plant your crops in. this could be round 2.5-3 inches. Give it loads of water to offer it a robust begin and also you now have a extremely productive raised mattress that may require little or no upkeep and watering.

Why not strive one thing new this 12 months and impress your pals with this fascinating and spectacular horticultural method and the fruits that it yields.

Jeese Morris – Graduate Landscapes