Hugel beds

Here’s the start of a raised bed technique called hugelkultur, which has been practiced on the farm long before our arrival due to the frequent flooding of the land and the accompanying need to elevate anything that one wishes to grow here. Logs are cut with a chainsaw and laid on top of some mulched materials (in this case port jackson tree leaves, and shredded branches) in a Mandala spiral layout. More shredded materials are then added on top of the logs, and everything is covered in a layer of topsoil. When good compost has been made, it will get added for seedlings to go into. Over time the logs will decompose, adding carbon to the nutrient mix, and other compost materials will be added as the sections of veg are harvested and the growing areas rotated. Many initial inputs are needed, but once established these beds will be the crucial, relatively low maintenance platform for many food crops.

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