Build your own Hügelkultur bed!
■ If you’re creating a Hügelkultur bed on a lawn, first cut the grass with lawn mower blades set low to give a really short cut. Retain the grass clippings.
■ Use a spade to remove all the turf where the Hügelkultur bed will be, and put it to one side.
■ To start your Hügelkultur bed, dig a shallow trench and add logs and branches. Use newer wood first, so the freshest wood is in the bottom of the Hugel. Save decaying logs for the higher layers.
■ Water as you go, soaking the logs to help them decompose. Water every layer you add.
■ Sprinkle grass clippings, fresh leafy material and pelleted chicken manure (if you have it) over the logs and branches to supply additional nitrogen to assist the decomposition of the logs and branches.
■ Cover with thin layers of soil or compost from your compost heap.
■ Place other branches into the gaps, using different sized materials to form a solid, secure, and contained mound. Create layers using vegetable peelings, prunings, and natural materials you have available.
■ Pack your materials together. Create a stable, raised growing area. Tall beds need to be built carefully, with the highest point at the centre and sides tapering.
■ As you near the top of your mound, sprinkle pelleted chicken manure and grass clippings over your decomposing wood and cover with the upturned turf.
■ Place your turf upside down to discourage rooting. Add mulches of sawdust or wood chip over the top.
■ Use stones, bricks, or new hardwood branches to edge the bed and prevent the soil from washing away.