Content
- It makes sense to build and fill a compost raised bed
- How to build a compost raised bed
- Do not forget the rabbit wire on the ground!
- Fill compost raised bed according to the hill bed principle
- Crop rotation on the compost raised bed
- Tips
Pumpkin grows well on fresh compost
It makes sense to build and fill a compost raised bed
Raised beds are particularly productive (and of course practical) if you use them for composting at the same time. For this purpose, the boxes are filled according to the so-called "hill bed principle" and planted successively with vegetables of different nutrient requirements.
How to build a compost raised bed
Since the material in such a compost raised bed collapses due to the rotting process, you should construct the boxes as described:
Do not forget the rabbit wire on the ground!
For a raised bed with raised bottom you should never forget the rabbit wire. He must be bent up at the edges and connected to the bottom boards without gaps using staples. Otherwise, voles and mice will soon be living in the raised bed and attacking your plants.
Fill compost raised bed according to the hill bed principle
Quite "classic" is a raised bed according to the hillside principle filled with their own kitchen and garden waste. In the process, all the material rots to such an extent within a few years that the plants are sometimes already deep in the box in the second year and hardly get any light. At the same time, the nutrient content changes from initially high to medium to weak. How fast the plant actually moves depends on the structure, mixture and nitrogen content of the starting materials. You should always make sure you have enough material to refill.
And this is how the individual layers of a "Hügelbeet" hot-deck look like:
Crop rotation on the compost raised bed
Compost raised beds will first be planted with heavyweights in the first year or two (depending on how much the bed has already collapsed). These include vegetables such as cabbage, celery, tomatoes, cucumbers, leeks, squash, zucchini or sweetcorn. From the second to the third year then follow vegetables that are not quite as hungry for nutrients. Optimal is now planting with Mittelzehrern such as Swiss chard, beetroot, lettuce, kohlrabi, Chinese cabbage, carrots, onions and garlic, potatoes, radish, parsnips and spinach. From the third to the fourth year, the compost raised bed is finally perfect for weak eaters such as lamb's lettuce, winter athlulak, rocket, radishes, beans, peas, parsley and other culinary herbs.
Tips
For a good crop rotation every year the plant family is changed on the bed. Green manure and soil cover during the winter months are also beneficial.