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Another type of raised bed

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Another type of raised bed

Postby jimmy s » 16 Jan 2022, 15:32

Has anyone who gardens fruit or veg tried Hugelcultur?

I'm going to have a go at a low rise version out of interest this year

https://richsoil.com/hugelkultur/

I've made a start today - with some decomposing tree matter that is a bit far gone for burning and no use for much else.
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Re: Another type of raised bed

Postby Andyp » 16 Jan 2022, 16:29

Kind of Jimmy.

I made a large planter/raised bed for my daughter last year. Rather than fill it full of topsoil I chucked a load of willow logs and other odds and ends I had laying around. Grass clippings on top and a couple of inches of topsoil on top of that.
Too soon to tell if this has had any effect on watering but the strawberries and flowers were all very good.
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Re: Another type of raised bed

Postby AJB Temple » 16 Jan 2022, 16:47

Yes. We have experimented quite extensively with this. We used a lot of tree trimmings of various species, including leylandii, cherry, willow, chestnut and apple, plus some large logs of unknown species. We made a large raised bank in one very dry area beneath some trees but in full sun for half the day, and covered it in clay and topsoil, and then over planted with plants suited to a dry environment.

We also planted a hedge using a similar system. This was an S shaped hedge about 40 metres long. Yew (Taxus B) in a trench cut in the lawn. This gets badly waterlogged in winter, which Taxus does not like. This had the trench cut to about a foot deep, and gravel put in the bottom. (You don't need a trench but I did to above the clay pan effect for young yew trees). Then logs, then the cut turf laid over the top upside down, then a mix of topsoil and compost. Then the Taxus was re-planted on the top with good compost and the microbe stuff my wife gets.

The system works extremely well, but I should have made the hedge mound twice as deep. I made it about a foot and a half above ground level and within a year it had reduced in depth 50%. I will be remedying it this year by building a new adjacent bank twice the original depth and width and planting more small home propagated Taxus Baccata into that.

My advice is build quite a bit bigger and wider than you think you will eventually want, as it rots really fast. Not suitable for tender root systems in the first two years as in some circumstances it can be heat generative.
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Re: Another type of raised bed

Postby jimmy s » 16 Jan 2022, 19:51

Andyp wrote:Kind of Jimmy.

I made a large planter/raised bed for my daughter last year. Rather than fill it full of topsoil I chucked a load of willow logs and other odds and ends I had laying around. Grass clippings on top and a couple of inches of topsoil on top of that.
Too soon to tell if this has had any effect on watering but the strawberries and flowers were all very good.



The one I've been working on today its not destined for strawberry runners so its encouraging to know its worked for you. I'm planning to cover it in spent mushroom compost.

I have 20 or 30 asparagus plants in the greenhouse that need a home immanently and was intending to make another hugelcultur type bed for these. I've never really grown them before so no idea if its a good plan or not.
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Re: Another type of raised bed

Postby Sheffield Tony » 16 Jan 2022, 20:01

Terrible idea. Wood does not rot much when burried, but the fungi which do decompose it deplete the soil of nitrogen. I will be digging my hugelcultur bed up shortly to return it to a sensible growing system.
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Re: Another type of raised bed

Postby AJB Temple » 16 Jan 2022, 20:07

It's used a lot in parts of Germany for hedges Tony, and I find it works fine, despite the depletion issue (people say similar things about woodchip mulch). On our clay we have high fertility so that might help.

Asparagus bed ....funny stuff asparagus. You need really good soil prep, good drainage and plenty of patience in our experience. I wouldn't use this system for growing asparagus, but will be interested to see how you get on.
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Re: Another type of raised bed

Postby jimmy s » 16 Jan 2022, 20:22

AJB Temple wrote:Yes. We have experimented quite extensively with this. We used a lot of tree trimmings of various species, including leylandii, cherry, willow, chestnut and apple, plus some large logs of unknown species. We made a large raised bank in one very dry area beneath some trees but in full sun for half the day, and covered it in clay and topsoil, and then over planted with plants suited to a dry environment.

We also planted a hedge using a similar system. This was an S shaped hedge about 40 metres long. Yew (Taxus B) in a trench cut in the lawn. This gets badly waterlogged in winter, which Taxus does not like. This had the trench cut to about a foot deep, and gravel put in the bottom. (You don't need a trench but I did to above the clay pan effect for young yew trees). Then logs, then the cut turf laid over the top upside down, then a mix of topsoil and compost. Then the Taxus was re-planted on the top with good compost and the microbe stuff my wife gets.

The system works extremely well, but I should have made the hedge mound twice as deep. I made it about a foot and a half above ground level and within a year it had reduced in depth 50%. I will be remedying it this year by building a new adjacent bank twice the original depth and width and planting more small home propagated Taxus Baccata into that.

My advice is build quite a bit bigger and wider than you think you will eventually want, as it rots really fast. Not suitable for tender root systems in the first two years as in some circumstances it can be heat generative.


Our hedges are mainly Beech/ (Fagus) but near the entrance to the house we have some Yew . I did grow some additional Yew from cuttings but it doesn't really like our heavy soil, I'm not sure if any have survived. Growing in a raised mound sounds like a good solution.

We planted one Walnut tree as an experiment, its been on strike for the 3 years since it was stuck in the ground. I was looking at it yesterday and thinking about moving it as its clearly not happy but all our soil is all heavy clay so was at a bit of a loss as to what to do with it . I might look at doing a hugelculture type effort for it - as I could form a raised mound but on a sloping area which might stop the root system from waterlogging so much. I fear its going to die if left where it is much longer.
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Re: Another type of raised bed

Postby jimmy s » 16 Jan 2022, 20:33

It seems to be a tried and tested method on the continent. We are on heavy clay, its god awful stuff to work with. I spent my early life in Shetland where everywhere was peat and normally quite a few feet deep. It was a bit of a shock getting landed with clay. Stuff does grow in it but its very sticky.

Last year I tried the no dig approach for some of the vegetables using spent mushroom compost. It worked very well. I have some really wet areas so the high raised hugelcultur looked like it would be worth a shot.

Will see how it goes.

Asparagus is new territory for me so if you recon its a bad idea Adrian then I'll steer clear and try something more conventional. I think it will need to be grown on some sort of raised bed as I cant see it growing in soggy clay. I might see If I can get another few tonne of spent mushroom compost and use that as a base layer for a raised bed.
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Re: Another type of raised bed

Postby Andyp » 16 Jan 2022, 20:43

I do not think therefore I do not am.

cheers
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Re: Another type of raised bed

Postby jimmy s » 16 Jan 2022, 21:28

Yours looks a lot tidier than mine Andy!
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