Adding Variety to Your Garden with a Hügelbeet

Many garden owners like to use alternative bed shapes to break up the form of their garden and also to increase the yield of their edible garden.

Raised beds and especially hügelbeets are playing an increasingly important role. This is because the way such a bed is constructed significantly improves plant growth conditions, and with a hügelbeet, the cultivation area is also increased.

The natural decomposition processes within the bed generate warmth and a large amount of nutrients that are directly available to the plants. Conversely, the volume of organic matter in the bed reduces over the years, so a hügelbeet can generally be used for about 3-5 years before it needs to be renewed or supplemented.

If you'd like to create one or more hügelbeets in your garden, choose a bed in the fall where you can orient the hügelbeet in a north-south direction. The total width of the bed should be about 1.50 meters, and the height of the finished bed between 80 and 120 cm. You're free to choose the length. This ensures you can easily reach all plants at any time, and the mound won't be too steep, which simplifies planting and watering.

First, dig out the chosen area to spade depth evenly and set aside the sod and excavated soil separately. To protect your bed from rodent attacks from below, now lay chicken wire in the hollow, making sure it's long and wide enough so the wire can be pulled up along the edges and still protrude a little.

Now, create a trench in the middle of the wire using coarsely chopped branches and twigs. On top of this, place the sod pieces with the roots facing upwards. Over this entire layer, add a layer of fine shredded material, grass clippings, and leaves (whatever you have in the garden), followed by a layer of mature compost, and finally, the excavated garden soil.

Planting shrubs and trees on the west side of the hügelbeet can provide good wind protection, preventing it from drying out. Suitable choices include hazelnut bushes, fruit trees, roses, and berry bushes. It's also advisable to install an automatic drip irrigation system so your plants are always well-watered without the soil being washed away.

For the first two years, primarily plant nutrient-loving plants such as tomatoes, zucchini, bell peppers, and leeks. After that, you can plant beets, cucumbers, kohlrabi, carrots, onions, etc. Once the hügelbeet is no longer as nutrient-rich, it's time for legumes.