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Why You Should Consider Adding Logs To Your Raised Garden Beds
By NAOMI MEZA
If you put logs or chopped up tree stumps into your raised garden beds before adding soil or other organic matter, they’ll gradually decompose into a soil rich in plant nutrients.
Called hügelkultur or “mound culture” in German, this method uses logs as the bed’s foundation. Add a mix of large hard and soft wood, like alder, apple, cottonwood, maple, or oak.
Partially rotted wood is better as it decomposes faster than younger wood. Your soil level will sink as the logs break down, so you should add compost before every planting season.
Don’t use cedar and locust woods, as they’re slow to rot. Also avoid treated wood and wood that emits toxins as it decomposes, like black walnut, as this can harm plant growth.
Since decomposing wood, especially soft wood logs, can cause nitrogen loss in soil, it’s vital to your plants’ health that you compensate for depletion of this key macronutrient.
Legumes such as clovers, field peas, hairy vetch, sunn hemp, or soybeans are the best cover crops to include in your bed to replenish nitrogen, as they’re high nitrogen producers.
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