What is hugelkultur, anyway? When I first heard the word, I thought it must be a new kind of yogurt, but no—it's a type of raised garden bed! Hügelkultur can be translated as "mound culture"—in which plants or crops are grown on raised beds with a mounded shape and form. Many swear that it takes raised beds to the next level. Find out why...

hugelkultur is a centuries-old, traditional way of building a garden bed from rotten logs and plant debris. These mound shapes are created by marking out an area for a raised bed, clearing the land, and then heaping up woody material (that's ideally already partially rotted) topped with compost and soil.

How to Build a Hugelkultur Bed

First, select a sunny spot that's roughly 8x4 feet. (A bed built parallel to a slope is a good idea, as it will catch water.)
If there is grass or the site is weedy, you'll need to clear it down to bare soil. Just mow and cover the area with cardboard or wood chips to suppress weed growth.