The hill bed is a very inexpensive alternative to the raised bed. It offers many of the advantages of the raised bed - for example through the heat development inside the bed - but can be completed in just one afternoon with significantly less effort.

Mound beds consist of several layers

Choice of location and orientation

Ideally, the axis of the hill bed is oriented north to south. This way the plants growing in it get as much sun as possible. If this is not possible, a different orientation can also be chosen, although you should always place such a bed in a sunny location. After all, vegetables and other heavily consuming plants are supposed to thrive here and they usually need a lot of light.

How to build a hill bed - step-by-step instructions

Once the location has been determined, mark the area of the planned raised bed by staking it out with string or something similar. It continues as follows:

  • Dig the hill bed about a spade deep, pick up the earth that has been dug up
  • Fill the mound bed with organic material in this order:
  • Fill the pit with wood chips (chopped twigs, branches, etc.).
  • at the bottom the coarser material, above that the finer material
  • This is followed by a layer of leaves and some of the previously excavated soil to weigh things down.
  • When filling, make sure to create a mound shape with more material in the center than around the edges.
  • The next layer is not quite ripe compost,
  • then some of the excavation and finally nice and mature compost.
  • Now distribute the rest of the excavated soil.
  • If this is very heavy or firm, you can mix it with some leaves.

Now the hill bed is fixed: Lay weed fleece (€21.70) all around, fold it over and weigh it down with stones, for example field stones. This will prevent weeds from spreading either in or out of the hill bed - for example if you accidentally composted weeds. At the very top, layer finely crumbled garden or potting soil on the hill bed, which can now be planted.

Plant the hill bed

In the first year, heavily consuming plants in particular feel very comfortable on a hill bed. You can plant them in the bed according to the following planting plan:

  • Zucchini: need a lot of space and therefore belong on the edge of the hill bed
  • Tomatoes: need lots of sun and warmth, thrive best on the apex
  • Peppers: need lots of sun and warmth, thrive best on the vertex
  • Leeks: also do best in the center of the hill bed
  • Celeriac: also thrives best in the center of the hill bed
  • Cabbages: belong at the foot of the hill bed
  • Carrots: are sown in the upper rows of the bed from the second year
  • Kohlrabi: plant on the bed from the second year
  • Fennel: plant on the bed from the second year

Plant or sow heavy feeders only in the first two years on the hill bed, from the third year medium and from the fifth year follow weak feeders. Due to the high nitrate concentration, you should only cultivate lettuce from the fourth year. The sixth year is usually also the last, after which the hill bed usually has to be re-laid. In this last year you can grow great potatoes.

tips

When planting the bed, always make sure that you put plants that match each other in the bed. A good mixed culture helps to avoid diseases and also promotes yield.

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Care tips