Hügelkultur Raised Beds

[Sally PB]

For those who may just be checking out this thread at this point, my new 16-inch tall 4X4 pallet wood raised beds v2.0 design are holding up much better.

And they look awesome!

 

[gtaus]

Use Industrial Totes as DIY EarthBox

For those of you apartment dwellers who might not be able to make a hügelkultur raised bed out in the garden, there is an option to make a DIY EarthBox for your balcony. Here is a good video on how to convert a tote into an EarthBox...

For a limited time, Menards is selling their 40-gallon industrial totes for $16.99 with an additional $5.00 rebate per tote.

Many people are using these industrial totes to make balcony planters. I have had a lot of success with my sub-irrigated planters, but you can also use these totes as DIY Huglepots...

Using these 40-gallon industrial totes is a heck of a lot less expensive than the plastic 32-gallon "garden beds" sold back in the garden center...

I don't think those legs are worth $100 over the price of an industrial tote. Locally, lots of gardeners are buying up the 40-gallon totes and converting them into balcony planters, using the DIY hugelpot method or the DIY EarthBox method.

Oh, by the way, the totes can also be used for storage of items.

 

[akroberts1085]

I just purchased a small electric tiller/cultivator for my garden. I have big plans for taking over most of the backyard for my garden. I want to have so many vegetables this year for canning, dehydrating and freezing. I just hope I can get everything done.

 

[gtaus]

I just purchased a small electric tiller/cultivator for my garden. I have big plans for taking over most of the backyard for my garden. I want to have so many vegetables this year for canning, dehydrating and freezing. I just hope I can get everything done.

Are you planting in ground or using raised beds?

When I was growing up back in the 1970's, we lived in the Red River Valley and the soil was black gold. My father had a great big garden and we tilled it every spring and fall. You needed a big gas tiller for that garden. Nobody talked about other options like no-till methods or raised beds. Why would you when the soil you had was so rich?

But I now live on lakeshore property and my soil is mostly sand. Very poor for growing food. So, I eventually moved into growing food in raised beds. If you have poor native soil, then raised beds will save you save you lots of money for the cost of good soil you put in there. Plus, I'm actually growing food now.

My old gas walk behind tiller is just too darn big to fit into my raised beds. Those small electric/battery tillers and cultivators work great in the raised beds. Although I could till up an in-ground garden with my mini-tiller, it would me take too long and be too much work.

Dear Wife and I used to can goods when we were younger, but nowadays we just freeze our produce. I have not tried dehydrating produce other than making jerky. I do miss the canned goods we used to have, but as we got older we have had some health issues and canning was a lot of work for us. Freezing is just easier. Of course, fresh from the garden is still the best.

 

[akroberts1085]

Are you planting in ground or using raised beds?

When I was growing up back in the 1970's, we lived in the Red River Valley and the soil was black gold. My father had a great big garden and we tilled it every spring and fall. You needed a big gas tiller for that garden. Nobody talked about other options like no-till methods or raised beds. Why would you when the soil you had was so rich?

But I now live on lakeshore property and my soil is mostly sand. Very poor for growing food. So, I eventually moved into growing food in raised beds. If you have poor native soil, then raised beds will save you save you lots of money for the cost of good soil you put in there. Plus, I'm actually growing food now.

My old gas walk behind tiller is just too darn big to fit into my raised beds. Those small electric/battery tillers and cultivators work great in the raised beds. Although I could till up an in-ground garden with my mini-tiller, it would me take too long and be too much work.

Dear Wife and I used to can goods when we were younger, but nowadays we just freeze our produce. I have not tried dehydrating produce other than making jerky. I do miss the canned goods we used to have, but as we got older we have had some health issues and canning was a lot of work for us. Freezing is just easier. Of course, fresh from the garden is still the best.

I plan on doing both. Raised beds and in ground. I'm doing in ground for my squash, green beans, peas, potatoes and luffa. For my tomatoes, peppers, greens and carrots I will do raised beds. I'm also going to try raised stairstep beds for my herbs. The herbs are what I want to dehydrate. My onions are also going in the ground.

 

[gtaus]

I plan on doing both. Raised beds and in ground. I'm doing in ground for my squash, green beans, peas, potatoes and luffa. For my tomatoes, peppers, greens and carrots I will do raised beds. I'm also going to try raised stairstep beds for my herbs. The herbs are what I want to dehydrate. My onions are also going in the ground.

That makes sense. My raised beds are 16-inches high, but half of that is taken up by the hügelkultur logs and wood stuff. I have had great success growing tomatoes, peppers and greens in my raised beds, but I have not tried carrots. Since I might only have about 6-inches of topsoil in my hügelkultur raised bed, I would probably have to grow those small carrots and not the long carrots.

Last summer I grew some squash in a raised bed. Well, the base of the plant was in the raised bed but I had to let the vines sprawl out and over the raised bed, down to the ground, and spread out further from there all over the yard. This year I'm looking into maybe growing some kind of squash up on a trellis system in a raised bed. Ditto for some cucumbers.

I tried growing some potatoes in-ground one year but failed miserably. Dear Wife is a Filipina, so she prefers rice anyways. So, it was not a great loss for us that my potatoes did not produce.

We grow some herbs as well, but Dear Wife just lets them dry naturally on a tray inside the house. I'll have to mention to her about the dehydrator to make things dry out faster. I have a nice dehydrator with about 8 trays, so we could do a lot if she wants. Nothing better than fresh basil in a pasta sauce for supper. But fresh dried herbs would be great as well later in the winter.

 

[akroberts1085]

That makes sense. My raised beds are 16-inches high, but half of that is taken up by the hügelkultur logs and wood stuff. I have had great success growing tomatoes, peppers and greens in my raised beds, but I have not tried carrots. Since I might only have about 6-inches of topsoil in my hügelkultur raised bed, I would probably have to grow those small carrots and not the long carrots.

Last summer I grew some squash in a raised bed. Well, the base of the plant was in the raised bed but I had to let the vines sprawl out and over the raised bed, down to the ground, and spread out further from there all over the yard. This year I'm looking into maybe growing some kind of squash up on a trellis system in a raised bed. Ditto for some cucumbers.

I tried growing some potatoes in-ground one year but failed miserably. Dear Wife is a Filipina, so she prefers rice anyways. So, it was not a great loss for us that my potatoes did not produce.

We grow some herbs as well, but Dear Wife just lets them dry naturally on a tray inside the house. I'll have to mention to her about the dehydrator to make things dry out faster. I have a nice dehydrator with about 8 trays, so we could do a lot if she wants. Nothing better than fresh basil in a pasta sauce for supper. But fresh dried herbs would be great as well later in the winter.

I would like to try growing rice and oats and wheat but it's just not in the cards right now but someday hopefully.

 

[fuzzi]

That makes sense. My raised beds are 16-inches high, but half of that is taken up by the hügelkultur logs and wood stuff. I have had great success growing tomatoes, peppers and greens in my raised beds, but I have not tried carrots. Since I might only have about 6-inches of topsoil in my hügelkultur raised bed, I would probably have to grow those small carrots and not the long carrots.

Last summer I grew some squash in a raised bed. Well, the base of the plant was in the raised bed but I had to let the vines sprawl out and over the raised bed, down to the ground, and spread out further from there all over the yard. This year I'm looking into maybe growing some kind of squash up on a trellis system in a raised bed. Ditto for some cucumbers.

I tried growing some potatoes in-ground one year but failed miserably. Dear Wife is a Filipina, so she prefers rice anyways. So, it was not a great loss for us that my potatoes did not produce.

We grow some herbs as well, but Dear Wife just lets them dry naturally on a tray inside the house. I'll have to mention to her about the dehydrator to make things dry out faster. I have a nice dehydrator with about 8 trays, so we could do a lot if she wants. Nothing better than fresh basil in a pasta sauce for supper. But fresh dried herbs would be great as well later in the winter.

I've grown carrots twice in my raised beds, Nantes half longs. I prefer carrots that are 4"-6" long.

From May

 

[gtaus]

I've grown carrots twice in my raised beds, Nantes half longs. I prefer carrots that are 4"-6" long.

From May
View attachment 3736875

Those are some nice looking carrots. How deep is the soil in your raised bed?

Also, can a person eat the carrot green tops? I'm finding out that many plants are totally edible, tops and roots, like radishes.

 

[fuzzi]

Those are some nice looking carrots. How deep is the soil in your raised bed?

Also, can a person eat the carrot green tops? I'm finding out that many plants are totally edible, tops and roots, like radishes.

I have 14" beds, and all the wood at the bottom has decomposed. They don't grow 14", I harvest at about 6". The tops I give to my flock, they LOVE them!