Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[Dieter Brand <diebrand@yahoo.com>]

In Germany, a Huegelbed has a width of 1.80 meters, an initial height (above ground) of about 60 to 70 centimeters and can be as long as you like.  First dig out the grass sod and set it aside, then dig a 25 cm deep hollow (1.80 meters wide).  Set the soil aside in a separate heap.  Then heap coarse materials such as cut twigs and hard plant residues etc. in that hollow to a height of about 50 cm.  In the hollow, leave about 50 cm space on both sides of the heap.  If you have grass sods, then place these with the green side down on the heap. If you don’t have grass sod, use a 15 cm layer of grass clippings, hey, straw or grassy plant residues.  Then use part of the soil you previously set aside for a 10 cm thick layer of soil.  Now, the Huegel (mount) starts to take shape.  Then spread a 25 cm thick layer of mixed leaves.  The leaves have to be wet!  Next, a 5 cm thick layer of humus-rich soil (or compost/soil mixture) is added.  If available, a 5 cm thick layer of composted manure (which ought to include plenty of earthworms) is added.  The next layer of 15 cm of compost is important.  The compost needs to be well cured because this is the layer where the young roots develop, therefore the composting process should be completed.  Finally, the remaining soil is mixed with compost to form a 15 cm top layer.  The Huegelbed has slanting sides and needs to be oriented in the South-North direction so as to avoid a cold and a hot side.

 

For planting you can use the usual companion planting methods.  The ridge is planted with tall plants such as Tomatoes.  Around that you can plant cabbages, celery, leeks, salads etc. in oval rings.  Plants such as potatoes and strawberries need separate Huegelbeds.

 

In a northerly climate, you ideally build a Huegelbed in the autumn, so that it has time to settle a bit before planting in the spring.  If you plant directly after construction, use cucumbers and zucchinis which cover and protect the soil rapidly, because the initial Huegelbed with its slanting sides is difficult to mulch.

 

In addition to the fertility boost, other advantages usually associated with Huegelbeds are that they create additional planting surface in a small garden and, in a cold climate, increase sun-exposure and raise soil temperature (the latter especially when horse manure is used).

 

Dieter Brand
Portugal

 

PS: As I said, Huegelbeds are no good for hot/arid climates because they dry out rapidly.

PPS: Aerobic decomposition is usually preferred over anaerobic decomposition.  For one thing, it is faster.  But anaerobic decomposition is not a catastrophe either.  Anaerobically decomposed material will turn rapidly aerobic at the contact with air or aerobic material.  One advantage of anaerobic decomposition is that losses due to oxidation are less.  In natural soil, there is a gradual slide from an aerobic environment in the topsoil to an anaerobic environment in the subsoil.  I haven’t heard that anaerobic decomposition is a problem with Huegelbeds.