For a long time, we have heard about a technique called hugelkultur, in which a raised bed is created by covering a pile of rotting wood with soil. The rotting logs are supposed to act like a sponge, holding more water in the soil, as well as providing housing for soil life and releasing nutrients for plant growth as they break down. We utilized this technique to create a nice, new home for our fall vegetable seeds. This bed had been cover-cropped with hairy vetch during the spring and fallow for the summer. The first step was to pile some old stacked firewood into a depression on the downslope (right side in photo) side of the bed. Then a few longer trunk pieces were used to help support the soil of the raised bed. Then we seeded radish, carrot, and beets in a nice design throughout the bed and around an existing poke weed that planted itself into the garden and has pretty, deep purple berries. Lettuce and turnip will be added in a few weeks.
 |
| A triangular planting of seeds creates more consistent vegetation coverage across the bed than rows do |
 |
| Radishes beginning to sprout |
 |
| Berries beginning to form on the poke weed, whose young leaves are edible in the spring but poisonous otherwise |
