Logs under dirt?

AJ Drew

AJ Drew

I have trees to clear this winter.  Nothing big.  Read somewhere about a grow method where you raise a bed by putting logs down, then covering with dirt.  I think it was German.  Anyone ever experiment with this?
 
I did this as an experiment with one of our raised beds when we put the last two in about 4 years ago.  The first year I didn't notice any difference.  Since that time plants in that particular bed need less water and produce larger better fruit/crops over the course of a season.  Some more info here and here.  
 
Hugekulture bed....very interesting.

For back yard gardening, I wonder how this could be done?

I have 4' x 10' raised beds built with 2 x 12s.....and i have enough rotted maple stump chunks to dig one out and fill it then replace the soil.

But the links show verticle style beds vs typical flat beds.

I want to research this a little more....sounds very interesting.
 
Masher said:
Hugekulture bed....very interesting.

For back yard gardening, I wonder how this could be done?

I have 4' x 10' raised beds built with 2 x 12s.....and i have enough rotted maple stump chunks to dig one out and fill it then replace the soil.

But the links show verticle style beds vs typical flat beds.

I want to research this a little more....sounds very interesting.
Click to expand...
Mainly for a moisture balance since the decaying matter will hold moisture when the surrounding soil dries. In raised bed applications you can use a well draining medium so not to waterlog roots. Addition of sub soil drainage with weep holes in your framing helps with moisture balance. First saw this when I use to volunteer at Rodales back in the late 70's.
 
Wimpy69 said:
Mainly for a moisture balance since the decaying matter will hold moisture when the surrounding soil dries. In raised bed applications you can use a well draining medium so not to waterlog roots. Addition of sub soil drainage with weep holes in your framing helps with moisture balance. First saw this when I use to volunteer at Rodales back in the late 70's.
Click to expand...
My beds already have excellent drainage using a largely sand based soil mix, but i am interested in the nutrient benefits suggested from doing it.

Looks like a great idea, obviously it works..might just go ahead and swap one of the beds out and run it 3-5 yrs and see the benefits if any for flat bed styles.
 
If you have the resources to do a Hugelkultur bed, by all means, go for it.
 
It's not just about moisture, it's also about symbiotic bacteria and fungi.  With the raised mound, you can also plant more per square foot, due to the increased surface area.
 
Here in my house by the ocean, my entire yard is sand, and the only thing that grows in it, is what one would consider weeds.  However, in one spot, where there used to be a hardwood tree that was cut down to make room for the pool, we have a hibiscus that is always the deepest, darkest shade of green, and never gets fertilized.  It's also the only spot in the yard where I can always find earthworms.

Go figure.
 
Seem to recall AJ has a green house of some sort, save some of the wood for heating the greenhouse during the winter. An old wood stove is excellent in the greenhouse, labor intensive but it will get your plants through the winter. I remember how cold its gets thru a Kentucky winter,  being a grunt on field exercises there. Normally we were forbidden to have fires in the field, but when the cold snap would occur, they brought in a lot of kerosene for fires. 5 ton trucks were frozen to the ground.
 
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