Farm Design - Raised Bed Preparation for Vegetable Farming (Hugelkultur Method)

As part of our Agriculture for Everybody blog series, we are going to see Raised Bed Preparation for Vegetable Farming (Hugelkultur Method).

Specifications

Length - Can be of any size

Breadth - 2.5 ft to 4 ft (Max)

• Nobody should step on the bed, once the beds are prepared as this will compact / harden the soil.

Height - 1 ft to 5 ft (Max)

• Depending on the availability of the woods or depending on the type of vegetables, the height can be decided.
  

Space between Beds - 1.5 ft to 2 ft (Max)

• This area can be used for all the activities like sowing, manuring, harvesting etc

Implementation

1. Remove the top soil (1 - 2 inches) where the bed is prepared and keep it aside.
2. Place the bigger woods (rotten, cut, fallen etc) in the bed.
3. Next place the smaller woods (twigs, branches etc) in the bed.
4. Next fill the gaps in the bed with dry leaves, fresh leaves, kitchen waste or anything that will decompose in the bed.
5. Cover the woods and other materials by placing the top soil previously collected on top of them .
6. The bed is ready for use.
7. To further increase the height of the beds, Point No.2 to 5 can be repeated as many times as possible.

Notes

• The bed should be from East to West direction to get maximum sunlight throughout the day. 
• The bed shape should be round or oval.
• The beds may not need watering for a long time if hard woods are used.
• Generally, most of the vegetables need full sunlight and hence proper plan should be made to ensure that no shadow falls on the bed.
• Few vegetables may tolerate semi-shadow and these can be planted where shadow falls on the bed.