Hügelkultur Raised Beds

[Molpet]

If the bucket was too big and too heavy for a riding mower, it would just do a nose dive and the back wheels would lift up off the ground.

Need weight on my tractor too. It came with a weight box that hooks up to the 3 pt hitch. But I have a bagger that weighs enough so I don't have any problems.
They make wheel weights also

 

[gtaus]

I still am thinking about getting a front end loader bucket for my riding mower(s)...

Something like that would be nice for me. Probably all I would need in reality. Nobody sells them where I live, so it's just online research at this time.

I encouraged myself to look into a front end bucket for my riding mower. I found a good article on the "scoop" kits. The manual kits start at around $1,000.00 and go up from there for the ones using cables. That's a bit more than I want to spend.

Well, that and I found out that the scoops are rated for only 200 pounds max bucket fill weight and only have a 7 inch lift. That was a bit disappointing to learn. I thought they could do more than that.

I have a couple of 7- and 10-cubic foot Gorilla carts (actually a different brand but the same thing) and they hold 1,200 pounds and 1,500 pounds respectively. If I have a heavy load, I can attach the handle to the riding mower and tow it wherever I need. I guess I'll be sticking with that system.

I fill my hügelkultur raised beds with a mix of topsoil and chicken run compost. The only "hard" work I do is forking out and loading up the compost in the run into my Gorilla cart and pulling the full cart back out of the run. I looked into maybe making a conveyor belt system that would move the compost from inside the run, up and over the chicken run fence, and drop it into a Gorilla cart. That would make compost removal a bit easier, but, alas, I have yet to find a good DIY conveyor belt plan and buying a commercial conveyor belt is way too expensive.

I should still have a few good years in me to do the job manually with my pitchforks, shovels, and Gorilla carts. But there may come a day when I will need more help moving that compost. I have learned to think ahead on some of my hobbies to find solutions that allow me to continue to enjoy them as I get older. I just have not found a better solution to moving compost yet.

I still like to talk about my cement mixer compost sifter that I use to sift my chicken run compost. Here is my setup...

I converted that cement mixer to sift compost before the COVID-19 pandemic. When I did the math way back then, I was making over $60.00 of finished, sifted compost per hour, even at my slow pace. I bet the cost of compost has gone up since then.

Tossing the compost into the sifter, one pitchfork full at a time, is not too hard. And the sifter does all the work after that, dropping the finished compost into the cart in the middle and the rejects into the cart at the end. I use the sifted compost in the raised beds, and the reject cart typically gets dumped back into the chicken run for more composting in place. Sometimes I use that reject cart stuff as top mulch on the beds.

Anyways, I got the sifting part of my composting process down to a minimal level of effort. It's just the work manually loading up the Gorilla cart inside the chicken run and bringing it outside to the compost sifter that I would like to find a better way of doing it.

 

[Land of Lincoln]

That’s a heckuva setup you have there with the mixer. How often do you clean the run out? It’s amazing how fast that stuff can accumulate in the run.

I have typically between 12-15 chickens at any point and my run is completely covered in hardware cloth. My run is just a touch over 6 feet tall and I’m 5-10, so when the run has been emptied of all the soil an chicken manure, up I can stand upright in it without having to tilt my head. However, that doesn’t typically last too long because I only really empty it out maybe 4x a year. I clean the coop much more often but not the run.

I always put the remnants from the coop and run in a pile to age for a while. Only time I use it fresh is when I’m starting a new hot compost pile. That stuff can really get the heat going in a compost pile so I use some of it for that. The rest I’ll sprinkle around areas I’m going to be growing in. Whenever I’m shoveling it from the pile into my wheelbarrow, I always have an empty coffee can with me to toss the grubs in and feed to the girls. I don’t know what it is about the chicken manure but the grubs I get out of it are always huge like the diameter of a finger, it’s unreal.

Didn’t know if you used any of your chicken run compost in regular compost piles or not? That’s some good stuff for sure and kudos to you on your sifter system, that’s pretty clever.

 

[gtaus]

That’s a heckuva setup you have there with the mixer.

Thanks. It's a great system for processing a lot of compost. For years I just used a 2X4 frame with hardware cloth, placed on a wheelbarrow, to sift my compost. That works great for small amounts of sifting. But it took me a very long time to sift out compost with that system. Now, I can use the cement mixer compost sifter and sift out 7 cubic feet of compost in less than 15 minutes whereas it used to take me almost 2 hours with the manual system.

I also use the compost sifter to mix my topsoil with compost when I fill up new hügelkultur beds for the first time. My initial fill is topsoil and chicken run compost mixed 1:1. The yearly top offs in the beds can be straight compost. But I was told to start off the beds with the mix of topsoil and compost. It works for me. I just put in a couple of shovels of topsoil followed by a couple shovels of compost and it gets mixed all together when it falls down into the wagon. Easy. Already mixed and ready to use.

I also have various inserts for the sifter barrel. I mainly use a 1/2 inch X 1/2 inch hardware cloth insert for my raised bed compost. But I also have 1/4 inch X 1/4 inch hardware cloth insert for really finely sifted compost for potting mixes. Or, I can take out the inserts and just use the 1 inch X 1/2 inch wire on the barrel for a coarser sift.

How often do you clean the run out? It’s amazing how fast that stuff can accumulate in the run.

My chicken run never gets completely cleaned out. It is truly a chicken run composting system that never stops. I took out about 21 cubic feet of finished compost this past spring and estimate that I used maybe only 10% of the chicken run compost.

I am OK with that, because the compost just seems to get better over time. It can sit there in the chicken run until I need it.

My run is just a touch over 6 feet tall and I’m 5-10, so when the run has been emptied of all the soil an chicken manure, up I can stand upright in it without having to tilt my head. However, that doesn’t typically last too long because I only really empty it out maybe 4x a year. I clean the coop much more often but not the run.

Yeah, that has become a small problem for me. My run fencing is also 6 foot high, and I'm 5-9. When I first converted the chicken run into a composting system, I could stand upright without a problem. However, with about 4 years of accumulated leaves, grass clippings, old coop litter, etc... the chicken run compost litter gets up to about 18 inches deep in the fall, it compacts and composts over the winter, but in the spring time it is still about 12 inches deep. So, I have to bend slightly in the chicken run because I have bird netting at 6 feet high.

One of my future goals it to add center supports in the run to lift the bird netting to about 7 feet 6 inches high. Then I could stand upright in the run even with a good 12 inches of compost under foot. I typically only work in the run early in the spring to harvest some compost, and then maybe later in the fall. So, 2X per year is all I really go inside the chicken run to harvest compost. It's not too bad to have to bend over a little for the short time I am actually inside the run.

Didn’t know if you used any of your chicken run compost in regular compost piles or not?

I have a nice series of 5 pallet wood compost bins under a bunch of trees, out of sight. But I don't use it much anymore. All my composting is done in the chicken run for the past 2+ years.

That’s some good stuff for sure and kudos to you on your sifter system, that’s pretty clever.

I got the idea for the cement mixer compost sifter from some YouTube videos. What I did was to make some modifications to the setup so that a person does not have to drill any holes in the cement mixer drum. That way, if you ever want to use it as a cement mixer again, you don't have holes in it.

I did a thread about the whole project and my modifications a few years ago here on the BYC forums. It got some good positive feedback. I realize that most people are happy with a simple 2X4 wood frame with hardware cloth for sifting compost. That's OK. It you really want to step up the composting game, then something like my cement mixer compost sifter is the way to go.

I had to buy a brand new cement mixer because I could not find a used one for sale. That was the main cost, of course. All in all, at that time, I spent around $240.00 on the cement mixer compost sifter project. But I ran the numbers on how much compost I could sift in one hour ($60 per hour at that time), so my cost was covered in the first 4 hours of use. Since then, it's all been pure profit. It's one of my few investments that paid for itself in just one day!

 

[fuzzi]

I'm tentatively planning on making raised beds for a couple elderberry shrubs. I've been doing research and apparently they do better in that setup. I can do something simple, maybe cement "cinder" blocks. And perhaps incorporate some Hugelkultur, too.

 

[gtaus]

I'm tentatively planning on making raised beds for a couple elderberry shrubs. I've been doing research and apparently they do better in that setup. I can do something simple, maybe cement "cinder" blocks. And perhaps incorporate some Hugelkultur, too.

I don't know anything about growing shrubs. The only shrubs we have on my property are all at ground level. They were there when I bought the property. If you need a special soil mix for growing elderberry shrubs, could you not just dig out a trench, fill it with the required soil mix, and plant the elderberry shrubs at ground level?

I'm not trying to talk you out of making raised beds for your elderberry shrubs, I'm just trying to get my head around what benefits you would get from growing shrubs in a raised bed?

Years ago, my neighbors at that time planted a row of shrubs along their side of the property line for some privacy. I was OK with that, and they kept the shrubs trimmed and looking good. Fast forward to today, and two different owners living on that property, those same shrubs are now overgrown and just look terrible. Since they look like they are on my property line, it makes my property look worse for the lack of trimming.

It's too bad because when those shrubs were trimmed, they looked really nice. I don't know what to do because the shrubs are on my neighbor's property and he has expressed no desire to maintain them. They are good neighbors, so it's not a major issue. But I remember the days when those shrubs added value to our property instead of looking bad like they do today.

I only mention that because when my old neighbors planted the shrubs, we thought it was on the property line, and I used my bush wacker to clean my side of the shrubs on the ground and I trimmed the branches of the shrubs on my side so I could get my lawn mower up close to the shrubs. Everything was at ground level and that made it easy for me to maintain my side of the shrubs.

Turns out, my old neighbor was off on his "estimate" of the property line and all those shrubs are about 6 feet inside his property line. We did not know that until he sold his property.

Anyways, I don't know if they would had planted the shrubs in raised beds if that would have made maintaining them any easier. What benefits do you expect to get from planting elderberry shrubs in a raised bed? I'm just curious. Thanks.

 

[fuzzi]

I don't know anything about growing shrubs. The only shrubs we have on my property are all at ground level. They were there when I bought the property. If you need a special soil mix for growing elderberry shrubs, could you not just dig out a trench, fill it with the required soil mix, and plant the elderberry shrubs at ground level?

I'm not trying to talk you out of making raised beds for your elderberry shrubs, I'm just trying to get my head around what benefits you would get from growing shrubs in a raised bed?

Years ago, my neighbors at that time planted a row of shrubs along their side of the property line for some privacy. I was OK with that, and they kept the shrubs trimmed and looking good. Fast forward to today, and two different owners living on that property, those same shrubs are now overgrown and just look terrible. Since they look like they are on my property line, it makes my property look worse for the lack of trimming.

It's too bad because when those shrubs were trimmed, they looked really nice. I don't know what to do because the shrubs are on my neighbor's property and he has expressed no desire to maintain them. They are good neighbors, so it's not a major issue. But I remember the days when those shrubs added value to our property instead of looking bad like they do today.

I only mention that because when my old neighbors planted the shrubs, we thought it was on the property line, and I used my bush wacker to clean my side of the shrubs on the ground and I trimmed the branches of the shrubs on my side so I could get my lawn mower up close to the shrubs. Everything was at ground level and that made it easy for me to maintain my side of the shrubs.

Turns out, my old neighbor was off on his "estimate" of the property line and all those shrubs are about 6 feet inside his property line. We did not know that until he sold his property.

Anyways, I don't know if they would had planted the shrubs in raised beds if that would have made maintaining them any easier. What benefits do you expect to get from planting elderberry shrubs in a raised bed? I'm just curious. Thanks.

The local Cooperative Extension suggested it, as elderberry roots are shallow, but they like well drained soil:

https://burke.ces.ncsu.edu/2020/01/lets-grow-some-elderberries/

I was thinking shallow raised beds, not 14" tall as I have for my vegetables.

 

[gtaus]

The local Cooperative Extension suggested it, as elderberry roots are shallow, but they like well drained soil:

https://burke.ces.ncsu.edu/2020/01/lets-grow-some-elderberries/

I was thinking shallow raised beds, not 14" tall as I have for my vegetables.

Thanks for the link. It sounds like elderberries are good for you if prepared correctly. Along that line, I found this...

... can contain trace amounts of cyanide! I did not know that.

In any case, it sounds like a shallow raised bed would be a great option for drainage which the elderberry requires. If you decide to make a 6-inch high raised bed, for example, you could dig out a trench below ground level to toss in hügelkultur wood if that is what you want, and then top fill everything up to the 6-inch high raised bed level. That would give you both the advantages of excellent drainage above ground level while still providing the advantages of the hügelkultur water storage for longer periods of lack of rainfall.

My pallet wood raised beds are 16-inches tall, but the bottom 8 inches of the raised bed is filled with hügelkultur wood, leaving only about 6-8 inches of topsoil and compost mix. I only grow shallow root plants in my raised beds, but I have considered either building taller beds for deep root plants, or maybe just adding an additional frame on the raised bed where I need more than 8 inches of topsoil.

At my age, I would rather build up then dig down. Bending over is something I try to reduce in my gardens. But it sounds like digging down might be an excellent option for your elderberry plants if you want to add the benefits to using hügelkultur water storage while still only using a shallow profile raised bed above ground level.

Please post an update if/when you build your elderberry raised beds! Thanks for sharing.

 

[fuzzi]

Thanks for the link. It sounds like elderberries are good for you if prepared correctly. Along that line, I found this...

View attachment 3991887

... can contain trace amounts of cyanide! I did not know that.

In any case, it sounds like a shallow raised bed would be a great option for drainage which the elderberry requires. If you decide to make a 6-inch high raised bed, for example, you could dig out a trench below ground level to toss in hügelkultur wood if that is what you want, and then top fill everything up to the 6-inch high raised bed level. That would give you both the advantages of excellent drainage above ground level while still providing the advantages of the hügelkultur water storage for longer periods of lack of rainfall.

My pallet wood raised beds are 16-inches tall, but the bottom 8 inches of the raised bed is filled with hügelkultur wood, leaving only about 6-8 inches of topsoil and compost mix. I only grow shallow root plants in my raised beds, but I have considered either building taller beds for deep root plants, or maybe just adding an additional frame on the raised bed where I need more than 8 inches of topsoil.

At my age, I would rather build up then dig down. Bending over is something I try to reduce in my gardens. But it sounds like digging down might be an excellent option for your elderberry plants if you want to add the benefits to using hügelkultur water storage while still only using a shallow profile raised bed above ground level.

Please post an update if/when you build your elderberry raised beds! Thanks for sharing.

Thank you for the feedback. I was considering just that, digging a shallow base to hold wood below the raised bed.

It'll be a couple years before I see any fruit.

The elderberry is in the pot on the right.