Hügelkultur Raised Beds

[fuzzi]

ya go ahead , use them plastic buckets , you are the man in charge , but be advised some those plastics work out ok but some them are very bad news ,, i have plastic planters here just break into tiny flinters when i try to pick them up , and plastic ropes that are real hell on earth after weathering ,, lots tiny sharp shards stick in your hand , when i detect them i treat them as hazardous material ,, i wish i knew the difference .. some those plastic seem satisfactory on the long haul ,, some not therefore being unable to specify the difference i suggest the earth friendly way ,,, cardboard boxes

This

I like my 5 gallon buckets, but some of them break into tiny sharp bits that are difficult to completely remove from the soil.

I use cardboard produce boxes as disposable planters.

May

June (5 weeks later)

You can see one of the boxes at the top of the second photo.

 

[gtaus]

I like my 5 gallon buckets, but some of them break into tiny sharp bits that are difficult to completely remove from the soil.

I use cardboard produce boxes as disposable planters.

Thanks. I decided against using the plastic to make a ring around some soil to plant in. Instead, I just dug out a hole in the grass clipping on the mound put a couple shovels of compost in the hole, then put some squash plants in the compost. I think that will work fine.

If not, I like the idea of using cardboard boxes filled with soil and/or compost that will naturally decompose into the hügelkultur mound.

As I stated that mound of junk wood branches and such got up to 6 feet high. I had not intended to turn it into a hügelkultur mound, but I am just giving it a try to see if anything will grow without having to cover the entire mound with a layer of soil. Just by dumping all those grass clippings on top of the branches has compressed the height to about 5 feet tall. I'm hoping the pile will continue to compress and maybe it will get down to a more workable height.

FWIW, I just finished building another pallet wood raised bed v2.0 yesterday and will be hauling it to the backyard garden location today. I have buckets full of pallet wood off cuts, bits and pieces. I'll dump that junk pallet wood bits into the raised bed garden to act as the hügelkultur wood for that bed. It's a great way to use up those cut offs. Better than just burning them in a fire pit.

 

[gtaus]

Hügelkultur Bed with Pallet Wood Cut Offs

I finished another pallet wood raised bed v2.0 yesterday and got it moved out to the garden. Instead of filling it with the typical logs, I used about six 5-gallon buckets full of pallet wood cut offs, bits and pieces, and some branches that fell on the lawn after our last storm...

I know it's probably too late to plant anything in that bed, but maybe something like radishes? Green onions?

Anyways, I got the hügelkultur wood in the base of the bed. Today, I was planning on adding some organics to fill in the gaps and create a layer of greens before filling it up with compost the final 6-8 inches. That was the plan. However, we are in a heat advisory until 7 pm this evening, so I might not get much done today. It practically took my breath away when I went outside to let the chickens out of the coop and into the run. If I get anything done outside today, it will have to be after supper.

As to using pallet wood cut offs, they should be perfectly safe in a garden bed. I did a quick query to Copilot AI and here is the summary it provided which I think may be useful to others who have buckets of pallet wood (or any other safe lumber) bits and pieces to use for something. IMHO, it's better than burning the wood in a fire pit.

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HT-marked pallet wood is generally safe for garden use, including hügelkultur beds, as long as it's clean and uncontaminated.

Here’s a quick breakdown:
---
### Safe Pallet Wood for Hügelkultur

- **HT (Heat Treated)**:
These pallets are sterilized using high heat (typically 56°C for 30+ minutes), with no chemicals involved.
→ **Safe for garden beds**, especially if you're burying them deep in hügelkultur layers.

- **KD (Kiln Dried)** and **DB (Debarked)**:
Also safe—these are physical treatments, not chemical ones.
---
### Avoid These

- **MB (Methyl Bromide)**:
Chemically fumigated and **not safe** for garden use. Can leach toxins into soil and harm plants or soil microbes.

- **GC / PT (Ground Contact / Pressure Treated)**:
May contain arsenic or other preservatives.
→ **Avoid**, especially in edible gardens.

- **Stained or Unknown Pallets**:
If the wood is visibly stained, oily, or smells odd, skip it. It may have absorbed chemicals during transport.
---
### Hugelkultur Bonus Tip

Since you're layering organic material, **pallet wood cutoffs are perfect** for the lower layers:
- They break down slowly, adding long-term structure and microbial habitat.
- Smaller bits help fill gaps between logs and branches.
- Just make sure they’re not painted or treated.
---
You're turning waste into soil-building gold. This is a great use of your DIY mindset.

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Well, turning all those buckets of pallet wood waste cut offs into something useful in the hügelkultur beds not only is a good use for that by product, but I also got some of the garage cleaned out in the process! That's a win-win in my book.

 

[gtaus]

Deer in the Gardens Again - More Damage

Had to play a little catch up today on getting things done quickly. One of my hügelkultur raised beds has nine SuperSweet 100 vine tomatoes in it. I have a wooden trellis frame up and around that bed. I made some wood framed panels with 4-foot-high chicken wire. Unfortunately, I only had the panels friction set in the trellis framing and that turned out to be a mistake.

We had a thunderstorm overnight and I guess a couple of my chicken wire panels blew off the raised beds. This morning, to my horror, I discovered that some deer took advantage of my mistake and ate the tops off the tomato plants in that raised bed...

Those tomato plants had been about 2 feet tall but have now been reduced to 6 inches to one foot tall, depending on the plant. They should grow back, but it's a shame that I did not secure the panels better.

Here is a picture of my pallet wood raised bed, with a salvaged lumber trellis frame, two sides have leftover 2X4 wire fencing permanently attached to the trellis frame, and the other two sides have the removable chicken wire panels...

The idea was to make those panels removable so I can get into the raised bed to work with the tomato plants. You can see the rope hanging down to each plant. I use those plant clips to attach the plant to the rope so it will climb up. As the tomato plants grow taller, I have to add more clips to the rope/plant. So, every once in a while, I have to get inside the raised bed to work on the plants. Maybe only once or twice a month.

Obviously, my idea of a friction fit for the chicken wire panels was not very well thought out. The wind blew the panels off the trellis frame and the deer took advantage of the situation. If you look closely, you can see where I now added a block of scrap wood and screwed the chicken wire panel to the trellis frame...

I had considered a number of other options, like hinges and hook and eyes to make a swing out panel, but I needed a fast solution today and that is what I came up with. It is still removable. I just have to take out the screw attached to the trellis frame and the panel will come out. Probably not as convenient as a hinge and hook system, but the wood block with screws is basically a no cost solution and I got everything secured before nightfall.

I made a few more of those type of chicken wire panels for another raised bed. I had to custom fit the panels because not all of my raised beds are the exact same size. Although I talk a lot about my pallet wood raised bed v2.0 design which I really like, I made other raised beds before I got into the pallet wood projects. Mostly, they all are about 4X4 feet, but they can be off by as much as 4 inches depending on the raised bed.

In any case, the raised bed, trellis frame, and framing for chicken wire panels are all pallet wood or salvaged lumber builds. A zero cost build for the wood. I used a bunch of repurposed 2X4 inch fence wire for the trellis, so, no cost there, either. I did have to use some new chicken wire for the panels. So that probably cost me about $10 total for the two panels. Not too bad. Those panels should last a lifetime.

I had great success growing the SuperSweet 100 tomatoes last year. I call them garden candy because I will just eat some right off the vine when I'm outside working. Very nice. Here is a picture of what they should look like later in the summer...

Anyways, I had a ton of those tomatoes almost ready to harvest last year when the deer first found my garden and ate almost everything in one night! They ate most of my peppers, too. That's why I am now making all these chicken wire panels and cages to protect my plants.

 

[Sally PB]

I'm sorry to hear about this! I hope your plant recover and bear.

 

[DuckLady]

Wow! All those gardens look fantastic!

I have 2 garden beds to fill. My plan was to use the pile of tree trimmings to fill the bottom of them with once the California Quail moved out, but they are still there. I saw the first batch leave with their babies, so I don't know if this is a second batch, or if they just got comfortable. I don't want to disturb them if they are on eggs, so I guess I'll just fill these will just soil/compost. I have 4 yards being delivered, which should fill the 2 beds, top off the ones I have once everything is harvested and fill a couple new ones when (if ) hubby helps me build a couple out of pallets.

I already harvested my huge garlic, replanted the area with radishes and will plant one of the new beds with salad turnips, carrots, more radishes, dill and peas for fall. I'll likely take some to the farmers market to sell/share. My tomatoes are heavy with fruit. I am eagerly anticipating a gorge session. Cukes are exploding with growth as are the beans.

I don't know about the nasturtium I planted. The description said "Plant by your tomatoes in a raised bed. They will gracefully cascade over the side for a beautiful addition to your garden."
Takes over like that spoiled pushy toddler cousin at a birthday party more like it. It's everywhere. Pretty, but everywhere. I comb it out of the tomatoes every morning and shove it over the side of the bed. It crawls back into the bed every night.

 

[NanaK]

I don't know about the nasturtium I planted. The description said "Plant by your tomatoes in a raised bed. They will gracefully cascade over the side for a beautiful addition to your garden."
Takes over like that spoiled pushy toddler cousin at a birthday party more like it. It's everywhere. Pretty, but everywhere. I comb it out of the tomatoes every morning and shove it over the side of the bed. It crawls back into the bed every night.

But nasturtiums are so pretty!

They are hard to grow here in NC because of our heat and humidity. I have grown them early spring but they don't last long for me.

You do know they are edible?? To me the leaves have a peppery taste but I've never tried the flowers. You can add them to salads. My chickens loved them!

 

[fuzzi]

But nasturtiums are so pretty!

They are hard to grow here in NC because of our heat and humidity. I have grown them early spring but they don't last long for me.

You do know they are edible?? To me the leaves have a peppery taste but I've never tried the flowers. You can add them to salads. My chickens loved them!

Nasturtiums are also supposed to help with insect control.

I don't even try to grow them here.

 

[DuckLady]

But nasturtiums are so pretty!

They are hard to grow here in NC because of our heat and humidity. I have grown them early spring but they don't last long for me.

You do know they are edible?? To me the leaves have a peppery taste but I've never tried the flowers. You can add them to salads. My chickens loved them!

They are very pretty! I did hear the flowers are edible. I’ll see how my husband likes them first. He’s a good sport at trying new things. Mine are just starting to bloom.

Nasturtiums are also supposed to help with insect control.

I don't even try to grow them here.

That’s what I heard and along with a splash of pretty, it’s why I wanted to grow them.

 

[DuckLady]

Oh, I removed the top floor of my California quail tenants abode to put in my garden beds. They will have to do without the penthouse view. They still have a sizable pile of branches to live in.