Hugelkultur: The Ultimate Raised Garden Beds

Hugelkultur: The Ultimate Raised Garden Beds CROPS New Techniques For several years I’ve tried to grow strawberries in my garden but they always performed poorly or died I read books watched videos tested the soil tried different varieties and tried all the tricks successful strawberry growers told me about but nothing worked Then I found out about Hugelkultur Hugelkultur is making raised garden beds filled with rotting wood It’s been used in Europe for many years and is now catching on quickly here in the U S The man most responsible for its popularity is Austrian farmer Sepp Holzer Holzer made quite a name for himself by taking land in what is called the “Siberia” of Europe and turning it into one of the most productive farms in his country Hugelkultur is a big part of his success In a nutshell you take a pile of logs stumps and brush and cover it with dirt This gives you raised garden beds loaded with organic material nutrients and air pockets for the roots of whatever you plant As the years pass the soil becomes incredibly rich As the wood shrinks it makes more tiny air pockets so your hugelkultur becomes sort of self-tilling The first few years the composting process warms the soil giving you a slightly longer growing season I was impressed with what others had told me about their successes so I made a small test hill and planted 30 strawberry plants To my surprise the plants not only lived but also thrived! I am now in the process of building 2 more 40 by 15-ft hugelkultur mounds in my yard to use as my main garden Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Brad Miller P O Box 222 Ridgeville Corners Ohio 43555 ph 419 267-5679

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