If you're doing some summer landscaping and you've wound up with wood chips, yard scraps, and dead leaves, don't toss them. Instead, use them to build a delightfully named, time-proven gardening mound, or hügelkultur.
The scoop
TikToker Future Thinkers (@futurethinkers) posted a video demonstrating what hügelkultur is and how to build one.
@futurethinkers I tried an ancient gardening technique #permaculture #hugelkultur #ancient #ancestralwisdom #ancestral #growfood #growyourownfood #gardening #gardeninglife #gardeningtips #Ecovillage #smartvillage #sustainableliving #regenerativeagriculture #regenerativefarming #regeneration ♬ original sound - Future Thinkers
She explains that hügelkultur is an "ancient Eastern European gardening technique"; the word itself is German and means "mound culture." These nutrient-rich gardening mounds are built from several layers of organic ingredients.
"Like a giant lasagna of a compost heap," the creator explains.
To build it, she gathers and layers her materials, including "wood scraps, leaves, grass clippings, compost, soil, and mulch."
"I even added some wood ash to spice it up with extra nutrients," she added.
Now that her "giant garden lasagna" is done, she says, it's ready for planting.
How it's helping
Hügelkulturs offer numerous perks. They essentially function as raised beds, which are perfect for growing healthy, affordable food, flowers, and native plants. Studies indicate that gardening benefits physical and mental health.
What's more, not only does building one of these garden lasagnas help upcycle yard waste and compost; they also help grow healthier plants and support the entire local ecosystem. As the compost and organic materials decompose, they release nutrients into the soil, which enriches it.
The creator also points out that this mound "retains moisture and warmth, improves soil fertility, promotes useful microorganisms, and reduces the need for tilling, watering and weeding." After all, with a hügelkultur, no changes need to be made to the land underneath — the TikToker just says that she made sure to choose a sunny spot.
These mounds also conserve water and prevent flooding during heavy rains, protecting surrounding landscape and wildlife habitat.
What everyone's saying
Commenters were impressed and eager to try building a hügelkultur for themselves.
"No dig gardens, they're brilliant," one person wrote. "Been doing this since the 70s."
"Great way to use logs as they save all the water," someone else said.
The OP responded to this, clarifying: "One thing to note is that this should not be done in warmer climates because of termite risk. Where we are in Canada it's too cold for them, so it's ok."
"Works beautifully love it," another user commented.
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