Picture of a large bed found on the internet
Pronounced “Hoogle Culture”, Hügelkultur is a German word which translates to “hill culture”. If you’ve never heard of this technique of farming before, that’s fine, it’s quite a different way to farm. The term was coined in a 1962 gardening booklet by a German gardener, Herrman Andrä. This technique has been practiced mostly in German and Eastern European societies for most likely a long time, and isn’t really talked about much over in the United States. So what is it? Hügelkultur is a way of farming in which crops are grown on a small (or large if you want to work harder), man made hill consisting of different separated layers of rotting wood, twigs, leaves and grass and soil. Sounds like a description of just a huge mess, right?
Well, the cluster of wood and leaves that is placed underneath the soil actually provides a source of continual fertilizer for the crops that are grown on it. Yet one criticism of these beds is that since a large component of the beds are basically the fertilizers, the crops can commonly be over fertilized, harming the crop in the process. These mounds are also to be left for a few months to settle before even planting on it.
Aside from these beds taking hard manual work to create, there are also some other important things to note about Hügelkultur, one of them being what type of wood one should place underneath the plot. Although the wood is going to be used for waste all the same, some woods, such as cedar and pine, actually decompose at a slower rate than other wood types. This would mean that more heat would be produced by them over a longer period of time, aiding the crops growth. Also in regards to the wood, it is important to not use chips of wood in the beds, because they rot too quickly, instead, logs should be used to make the beds more efficient. The rotting wood also can be a sort of sponge, holding in water for the crops over a period. Since these beds are hills, it is possible to grow crops not only on the top, but on the sides as well for efficiency. Although this can be efficient, it isn’t for a long period of time. These beds only are usable on average for 5-6 years, and after this time, Hügelkultur beds must be fully rebuilt, digging out what is left to replace the wood and twigs towards the bottom. One more thing to note, is that when making one of these beds, they cannot be too steep, because it can cause soil to slide around, but these beds work both in slopes, or even in flatter variations.
Image showing the average structure of A Hügelkultur bed
Not every type of crop can be grown off of Hügelkultur either. Usually, farmers grow smaller crops, such as berries and small fruits since the interior of these beds are somewhat crowded. It would not be very efficient to grow larger crops such as pumpkins or melons on steep beds because of the space they take up. But, if the bed is flatter, it would very much be possible to grow larger crops.
As of 2017 (also through my own findings), there aren’t any peer reviewed scientific studies that discuss whether or not Hügelkultur is an efficient way to be farming. Some scientists do criticize the practice because Hügelkultur essentially creates a layer of waste below the beds. However, farmers who have made these beds before claim that the waste is set up to mimic actual forest decomposition, just in a smaller space.
It was interesting to learn about a way of farming I’ve never heard about, and I hope that through this short blog, you have learned something too.
Blog written by Jordan Escamilla
Sources:
- https://www.permaculture.co.uk/articles/many-benefits-hugelkultur
- https://richsoil.com/hugelkultur/
- https://www.permaculturenews.org/2010/08/03/the-art-and-science-of-making-a-hugelkultur-bed-transforming-woody-debris-into-a-garden-resource/