KING OF THE HÜGEL

GARDENERS ARE FINDING NEW USES FOR THE TIME-TESTED TECHNIQUE OF HÜGELKULTUR

- ERICA BROWNE GRIVAS

Gardeners are taking notice of an ancient gardening technique said to reduce watering, need less fertilizer, improve soil diversity and quality and sequester carbon-all while saving them time and money. Called hügelkultur (hoo-gull-culture)a German phrase which translates roughly as hill, or mound, culture-its central principle combines soil and wood to create a sustainable, low-input growing system that can be adapted to suit various scales and climates. As the wood decomposes it acts like a sponge, supplying the plants with water.

The original purpose of this centuries-old practice was to make use of woody material to help build soil in cold climates. Popularized by Austrian permaculture expert Sepp Holzer, it has been widely embraced in the permaculture community. Now, mainstream gardeners are discovering its benefits, too, amid the challenges of climate change and the rising costs of soil, building materials and fertilizer.

HOW IT WORKS

The typical use of hügelkultur is as a self-sustaining raised bed, edged or not, built from materials you can likely find at little to no cost. You start with layering logs and branches at the base, interspersed with higher-nitrogen material like grass or weed clippings or manure, and topped with highquality soil or compost. A commonly cited ratio is 70-percent woody material to 30-percent green material, such as grass clippings, non-invasive weeds or compostable kitchen scraps.