Hugle-what? it's part of the Kultur.

Huglekultur! What the "hay" is that? 

Hugelkultur are no-dig raised beds with a difference. They hold moisture, build fertility, maximise surface volume and are great spaces for growing fruit, vegetables and herbs. Hugelkultur, pronounced Hoo-gul-culture, means hill culture or hill mound.

I have recently taken a great interest in this sort of growing. I love that it uses what most of us want to throw away as "yard refuse," though probably not technically "hay." Looking again at the picture above you can see that, in a very small footprint, the gal is able to grow an abundant variety of plants with a highly efficient use of space. A moment spent Google-ing the word huglekultur to scan the images and I will soon have you hooked too! 

We have just made a first attempt at a huglekultur mound at our "Camp." We have such an abundance of half rotten aspen wood and I know how quickly it's given to decomposition. Other than the dog possibly destroying it as he hunts for what seems to be a new resident rodent, it seems like it will be an incredible piece of our sustainable growing systems this summer. I cannot wait to watch it transform in abundance. For further reading please visit http://www.richsoil.com/hugelkultur/ or any other enticing webpages and learn all you can about PERMACULTURE. Happy planting!


"Permaculture is a science based ethical design system. Used to answer the all encompassing question "How do we live sustainably?" Founded in three ethics -  Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share practitioners of permaculture use nature inspired design with tools and methods based in science, engineering, agriculture, finances, community building to create sustainable regenerative human habitat. This design system uses organic agriculture, urban farming, regenerative design, and many other ways of knowing to teach and provide a practical framework for individuals to take responsibility for themselves, their children and their community." --Permaculture BC