My new bed (Hugelkultur & Lasagna Gardening)

9 years ago

So last week I put this thing together.
I used materials I already had, just stacked around. I even had the exterior, star-head screws. I admit I spent some money on hay for one of the Lasagna layers. A whopping $6.00. If I'd known how easy this is, I'd have done it long ago. Now I'm looking around for places to build more beds!

Here we come:
Raised bed with bottom wood layer:

A dirt and hay layer:

And finally, ready to plant:

I made this bed with several different methods, given I'm destitute and couldn't afford to buy dirt. BUY DIRT?!? Well, the only thing they don't make more of is land, but I can make dirt.

Hugelkultur.. (Thanks Herbal!) A sustainable farming method. I got all the trees and wood from driving down my country-ish road and from my neighbor, who wasn't going to burn 2-3 year old wood. That aged wood + coffee grounds prevents the huge nitrogen drain newly cut wood would create. Plus, I'm letting it sit over the winter.

Lasagna gardening. We're all familiar with that here! My layers were:
Wood (logs, oak cabinet doors, & unfinished, 1" oak flooring)
Wood chips.
Leaves (Freecycle!)
Coffee grounds
Dirt
Cardboard
Coffee grounds & filters
Some green-ish yard waste
Hay
Dirt
Coffee grounds & filters
Wood chips. Mostly over a year old.

So... when it's all said and done, the first things to go into this 24' x 4' bed are: Sun-tolerant Japanese maples 'Tamukeyama' probably 'Japanese Sunrise' (which is far more golden yellow than this picture) and a 'Red Pygmy'.

Then, I'm going to try my hand at winter sowing again to flesh out this garden with RED flowers.

I hope you like this and it gives you incentive to try it yourself.

This post was edited by CEFreeman on Mon, Nov 17, 14 at 10:07

Comments (6)

kimka
9 years ago
Not only is this a great way to solve a bad soil problem, I'm finding it so much easier to plant and do what little weeding and leaf removal needs to be done in "raised beds" like this. It makes me wish I had done a lot more raised beds like yours instead of tilling in great wads of compost to improve my hard pan crap soil and then get down on knees to plant and then weed and blow leaves out of etc.
CEFreeman
Original Author
9 years ago
Having seen your beautiful yard, I think you could have done beds that fit into that gorgeous setting quite well. Along the left side of the house, where they built that house so close, it would have made a good divider for those horrible workers.

I realize those beds are pretty established, but you're so good with plants. Could they be lifted? I'd help you build, if you wanted to!

(Who took my images?)
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kimka
9 years ago
I'm seriously thinking about it, but for a couple of years down the road when I have a little more time. I did almost nothing in the garden this past summer. I just had to take a break from the heavy gardening.
sujiwan_gw 6b MD/PA
9 years ago
Hi, I was just browsing around on gardenweb MidAtl and saw your more recent post. I have been thinking of trying hugelkultur in my yard since reading about it a couple years ago. Kuds to you for experimenting. I think there are certain types of wood better than others to use, but I don't recall which species to avoid (other than walnut, for example!)
CEFreeman
Original Author
9 years ago
Sujiwan, there are mentions of this all over the Hugelkultur sites. At least those that feel the need to instruct. :)

From what I remember, cedar, treated lumber, walnut, locust and a couple more weren't good. Things that decompose very slowly or that have antibacterial properties such as the cedar.

This was so easy. Somehow easier than the lasagna beds I made when I first moved in here, around 2002-4. Perhaps I'm braver and trust common sense that I didn't at first. ha!

Either way, I'm having all the building materials moved out of my front yard, where they've been since 2005, stacked out behind the barn, and building another long bed in front. I imagine my yard as a future courtyard area, with my Japanese maples providing some shade, but definitely beautiful visual interest.

Check out the resuse centers for lumber: Community Forklift in Edmonston (off Kenilworth Ave) or 2nd Chance in Baltimore. I got 12"w, 16' long unfinished pine for my kitchen floor at $0.25 a foot and 2nd chance. I'm going to check there for longer treated deck boards or just treated lumber. As a matter of fact, I think I've talked myself into going out there today. Got nuttin' better to do!
amanda_m
9 years ago
Looks great! You inspire me to get out there and build a hugel. Well, not right now, it is Freezing!

I will wait until the temps climb above 32 degrees!