What is Hügelkultur and How to Install a Hügelkultur Garden Bed

Have you ever heard of the hügelkultur gardening method? I first heard the word ‘hügelkultur’ a couple of years ago while visiting The Lodge at Woodloch's organic farm. They had this beautiful setup where they grew the food that the spa guests would eat. And in the middle of it all was this raised bed that looked like it was mid-construction. It was a hügelkultur bed. Since then, I kept hearing that word, especially among organic growers! So for this episode, I sat down with Sarah Wagstaff of SUOT Farm (Small Units of Time). Sarah is a full-time flower farmer, and her entire farm is built on hügelkultur! Come learn with me!

In this episode, we learn:

• [03:09] Meet flower farmer Sarah Wagstaff from SUOT Farm!
• [03:45] How Sarah's childhood and family inspired her love for growing plants
• [05:55] Why Sarah decided to build her entire flower farm using hügelkultur
• [07:27] What is hügelkultur and where did it originate?
• [09:30] How long does it take for woody debris to break down before you can plant?
• [12:49] Can you plant into a new hügelkultur mound immediately?
• [14:53] Build a healthy soil foundation for your garden with Espoma Organic!
• [17:00] How to properly layer greens and browns to create compost in place
• [19:23] How to use the 180-degree topography of a mound to maximize growing space
• [21:43] How tall should you actually build a hügelkultur bed?
• [24:20] Till vs. no-till: Which protects soil decomposers for long-term soil fertility?
• [27:35] How spent mushroom blocks can add extra nutrients and mycorrhizae
• [28:53] Scaling hügelkultur down for small containers and porch gardening
• [29:41] Common mistakes when building your first hügelkultur bed
• [32:49] Adapting hügelkultur to your specific climate
• [33:43] Why Sarah doesn't use additional fertilizers on her hügelkultur beds
• [35:28] Why hügelkultur is a perfect solution for gardeners stuck with sandy/poor soil
• [37:31] How Sarah grows flowers year-round in Zone 7B
• [39:24] How to continually add scraps/compost while your hügelkultur beds are growing
• [41:41] How SUOT Farm has evolved over the last 10 years
• [44:10] Where to find Sarah, her CSA, and her hügelkultur PDF!

Mentioned in our conversation:

• SUOT's free downloadable PDF: Hugelkultur Planning Tool
• Growing Joy 246: What is Regenerative Gardening and Permaculture? with Stephanie Rose of Garden Therapy
• Growing Joy 178: The Mushroom Miniseries: Mushrooms 101 Plus the Answer to "What is the Mushroom Growing in My Houseplant!"

For Sarah's guide on hügelkultur for small gardens,

check out the full show notes and blog here!

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Thank you to our episode sponsor:

Espoma Organic

Visit espoma.com to find your local Espoma dealer or check my Amazon storefront.

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