Hügelkultur and Bin Gardens, part 2: The one-year follow-up

Over a year ago, I wrote about our Hügelkultur gardening experiment and am happy to report that we had a productive year with our project. My husband and I created the garden bed in May 2014 and we enjoyed tomatoes throughout the summer, followed by a harvest of garlic and onions that grew through the winter, and now (July 2015) carrots that were planted in early spring. The bed required very little water - only when seedlings or bulbs were first planted.

Tomato plants and marigolds in Hügelkultur bed

Several weeks later

Beginning of fall - cleared tomato plants out and planted garlic

Added onions to grow through the winter
                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Carrots growing from seed started in the spring




Garlic bulbs and cucumbers

Tomato and garlic harvest (above) from Hügelkultur bed

  Also, the deck garden with our homemade self-watering bins did well this past year. We grew  lettuce, herbs, and strawberries over the winter, and have added sweet peppers this summer.

Parsley growing throughout the winter in Georgia


Strawberries and herbs in self-watering bins 

Pepper plant growing in bin

This is the third year we have used these bins on our deck. I have added a bit of soil to each bin as needed, as well as slow-release organic fertilizer in early spring. So far, there has been no cracking and very little wear and tear on the containers (other than some color fading). Please click here for more info on making these self-watering containers.

Happy gardening to you!

Karen