The hill bed is a central element in permaculture, because it enables the cultivation of very productive vegetables or fruit without the addition of fertilizer and using natural garden waste. Creating a hill bed is quite easy if you follow the steps below.

A hill bed can be cultivated for up to five years

Why create a hill bed?

A raised bed consists of different layers of organic material that accumulates in the garden. The utilization of everything that the garden produces is one of the basic principles of permaculture and helps to achieve sustainable cultivation. Thanks to the organic material that gradually decomposes, the mound bed contains numerous nutrients that provide year-round nutrition for the fruit and vegetables grown on it, making fertilizer application completely unnecessary. In addition, the decomposition of the materials generates heat, which has a beneficial effect on the growth of the cultivated plants and also enables early cultivation. Vegetables and fruit can be harvested up to three weeks earlier. Another advantage is that due to the hill shape, the growing area is slightly increased, allowing you to grow more fruit and vegetables in a smaller space.

Planning the mound bed: location and size

Mound beds are usually laid out oblong and should not be wider than 1.50 meters so that the vegetables growing on them are easy to reach. The ideal length is four metres, but you can make your raised bed longer or shorter. It is important that you observe the given conditions on site. Fruit and vegetables almost always grow better in the sun. So don't create your hill bed on the north side of your house, but look for a sunny spot. It should also point from south to north if possible, so that all plants get even sun.

When will the hill bed be laid out?

The best time to create a hill bed in the permaculture garden is in autumn. The layers can then settle over the winter and you can start cultivation right away in the spring.

The construction of a hill bed

A hill bed is divided into several separate layers. Exactly what you do in your mound, the order you do it in, and how thick each layer is depends entirely on what you have available. Usually used:

  • branches, twigs and chaff
  • mown grass
  • leaves and garden waste
  • Manure and coarse compost
  • Fine compost and topsoil
  • Clay

A raised bed is meant to remain in use for five years, so larger branches that will take a year or two to rot can also be used.

In this video you can see how to create your hill bed step by step:

youtube

Category:

Garden design