Hügelkultur Raised Beds

[gtaus]

Nature is so cool!

The more ways I find out how to live with nature, the easier my life gets. I'm too old, and too tired, to be fighting all the battles against nature and have learned how to modify my approach to more natural methods which end up working better for me.

When I was much younger, I used to dump chemical fertilizers on my gardens, then I bought bagged compost and that was a big step forward for me at the time. I went from full on tilling the garden soil, about 10 inches deep, twice a year to now only cultivating the top few inches where I plant my seeds, or transplant a starter. I got some chickens for my backyard and now make my own chicken run compost instead of buying bags at the big box store. Nothing organic leaves my property, whereas in years past we would haul our "junk" wood and leaves to the landfill. Now, I consider it a valuable resource for chicken coop bedding, run litter, mulch, and composting. Every little step I make towards a more natural approach seems to have worked out well for me, on my small gardens, on my property.

Having grown up in farm country, I don't know how much my methods would translate to a commercial farming enterprise. For my backyard gardens and livestock, it works for me.

 

[fuzzi]

The more ways I find out how to live with nature, the easier my life gets. I'm too old, and too tired, to be fighting all the battles against nature and have learned how to modify my approach to more natural methods which end up working better for me.

When I was much younger, I used to dump chemical fertilizers on my gardens, then I bought bagged compost and that was a big step forward for me at the time. I went from full on tilling the garden soil, about 10 inches deep, twice a year to now only cultivating the top few inches where I plant my seeds, or transplant a starter. I got some chickens for my backyard and now make my own chicken run compost instead of buying bags at the big box store. Nothing organic leaves my property, whereas in years past we would haul our "junk" wood and leaves to the landfill. Now, I consider it a valuable resource for chicken coop bedding, run litter, mulch, and composting. Every little step I make towards a more natural approach seems to have worked out well for me, on my small gardens, on my property.

Having grown up in farm country, I don't know how much my methods would translate to a commercial farming enterprise. For my backyard gardens and livestock, it works for me.

Louis L'Amour wrote about the desert, said you could not fight it and survive, you had to learn to live with it. (paraphrase)

The ocean is the same. If you get caught in a rip current you go with it until it lessens and you can swim in to the shore. If you fight the current you will exhaust yourself and lose.

Go with the flow.

 

[gtaus]

Negative Considerations in Cinder Blocks for Raised Beds

I am a big fan of making raised beds for gardening. As I get older, it is so much easier for me to not have to bend over all the way to ground level to maintain my gardens. All my current raised beds are 16 inches tall for that reason.

Also, my native soil was too sandy (I live on a lake) so I never had great success growing in-ground. I only started have great results when I built raised beds and filled them with a high quality topsoil and compost.

Then I got into the hügelkultur method of raised beds and that has almost drought proofed my gardens due to the large water holding capacity of the logs I use in the bottom of my hügelkultur raised beds.

There are many materials that can be used to build raised beds. There are advantages and disadvantages to the various materials and I won't pretend to tell you what the best material is for you where you live.

Having said that, I just came across a YouTube video explaining a number of reasons why cinder blocks might be a poor choice for building your raised beds. This guy goes through a number of points to consider why you would to choose other options for building a raised bed, and not cinder blocks. If you watch the whole video, you might learn some information that will help you decided on what materials you would use if you plan on making a raised bed...

I would like to point out the cost of cinder blocks versus other material. He mentioned that a 4X4 foot raised bed of cinder blocks would cost him $30.00. For another $2.00, he could build a 4X8 foot raised bed out of untreated white pine at $32.00. A metal raised bed, 4X8 foot, he says costs about $150.00 to $180.00. I think I have seen less expensive metal kits, but metal is going to cost more than wood.

As far as cost, my preferred raised bed is using pallet wood to make 4X4 beds, 16 inches high, and my cost is FREE. If I double that to make a 4X8 foot bed, the cost is FREE. Obviously, I have to spend time and labor building my raised beds out of pallet wood, but that's my hobby and I enjoy it.

Picture of one of my 16 inch high 4X4 foot pallet wood raised beds...

One point that I thought was really good in the YouTube video is how long the raised beds made of different material are expected to last. He stated that his untreated pine is lasting him 5-7 years. I suspect that is about the life of my pallet wood raised beds as well. A much more expensive cedar raised bed would last 10-20 years. A metal bed is expected to last 25-30 years. However, a cinder block raised bed, here in the north country where we get snow in the winter, might start freezing and cracking that first winter.

That last point is something I have never really thought much about. I live in northern Minnesota, and have never used cinder blocks because I just knew that they are prone to crack in the winter. Wood was always the better option for me.

Funny how you know something without ever really thinking about it? I suppose people living in the southern states have a much different experience.

Well, I enjoyed that video about cinder blocks and it reinforced my choice for using pallet wood to make my raised beds. Even if I only get 3-5 years use out of my pallet wood raised beds, at my age, that's long enough. And if I have to eventually replace them, the pallet wood is free.

 

[akroberts1085]

Today my husband and I as well as the middle grandson are working on filling the raised metal beds. I have one done and one more to go but the big one is going to take a lot more time to fill. I will post pictures after that.

 

[gtaus]

Today my husband and I as well as the middle grandson are working on filling the raised metal beds. I have one done and one more to go but the big one is going to take a lot more time to fill. I will post pictures after that.

I don't know what kind of metal raised beds you purchased, but I have seen a number of YouTube videos on the 4X8 foot metal raised beds that will bow out after a year or so, if you do not add side to side supports midway on the 8 foot long side. Of course, a 4X8 foot wood bed would also need supports midway or you will see them bow out over time. Easier to put in those braces now before you finish filling them up!

Now, I only make 4X4 foot pallet wood raised beds and they do not bow out. The smaller raised beds work better for me using pallet wood which comes in at 48 inches long for the 2X4's. Also, this year I got hit hard from deer eating my gardens, so I had to build cages for every bed. A 4X8 foot cage would be harder to move by myself, but I can easily move the 4X4 foot cages to keep the deer out.

Would love to see your metal raised bed project when you get a chance to post some pictures.

 

[akroberts1085]

I don't know what kind of metal raised beds you purchased, but I have seen a number of YouTube videos on the 4X8 foot metal raised beds that will bow out after a year or so, if you do not add side to side supports midway on the 8 foot long side. Of course, a 4X8 foot wood bed would also need supports midway or you will see them bow out over time. Easier to put in those braces now before you finish filling them up!

Now, I only make 4X4 foot pallet wood raised beds and they do not bow out. The smaller raised beds work better for me using pallet wood which comes in at 48 inches long for the 2X4's. Also, this year I got hit hard from deer eating my gardens, so I had to build cages for every bed. A 4X8 foot cage would be harder to move by myself, but I can easily move the 4X4 foot cages to keep the deer out.

Would love to see your metal raised bed project when you get a chance to post some pictures.

The small bed is about 3'×24". It's not very big and the big one is like a set of stairs. I will post a picture today.

 

[akroberts1085]

These are my raised beds

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[gtaus]

The small bed is about 3'×24". It's not very big and the big one is like a set of stairs. I will post a picture today.

Thanks for the pictures. Given the size of your raised beds, you probably won't have a problem with unsupported sides bowing out on a larger 8 foot long bed.

I can't tell how high your raised bed walls are in the photos. My pallet wood raised beds are 4X4 feet, 16 inches high. I find that tall enough to put about 8 inches of hügelkultur wood in the bottom and organics/topsoil/compost in the top 8 inches. If a person has a shorter raised bed, you can dig out the soil underneath the raised bed, fill it with your hügelkultur wood, and use that soil on top of the wood.

I just came across a newer YouTube video where the guy makes a traditional hügelkultur mound system digging into the ground. I'll post that later.

 

[akroberts1085]

Thanks for the pictures. Given the size of your raised beds, you probably won't have a problem with unsupported sides bowing out on a larger 8 foot long bed.

I can't tell how high your raised bed walls are in the photos. My pallet wood raised beds are 4X4 feet, 16 inches high. I find that tall enough to put about 8 inches of hügelkultur wood in the bottom and organics/topsoil/compost in the top 8 inches. If a person has a shorter raised bed, you can dig out the soil underneath the raised bed, fill it with your hügelkultur wood, and use that soil on top of the wood.

I just came across a newer YouTube video where the guy makes a traditional hügelkultur mound system digging into the ground. I'll post that later.

My small bed is 4'×2'×1'. I did dig down under the bed about a foot or a little more to give me more space for growing vegetables

 

[gtaus]

Building a Traditional In-Ground Hügelkultur Mound Bed

Just came across this newer YouTube video on making an in-ground hügelkultur mound bed. For a number of reasons, I prefer hügelkultur raised beds, but I'm posting this video for the good quality how-to make a hügelkultur mound instructional. Also, at the end, he digs up the mound after 6 months to check on how well the system is working. Spoiler alert...it was working well.