Hobby gardeners no longer just use the classic beds directly on the garden floor. You have long since discovered the advantages of raised beds. Two types of beds that have been proven to offer more yields than the classic beds are raised beds and hill beds. The latter is still unknown to some people, but it is a really wonderful variant that is worth trying out. How exactly you aCreate a hill bed in the garden, we have already explained to you. And as you may already know, not all types of plants should be planted right from the start. We have therefore put together a planting plan for you that will serve as a guide if you want to plant the hill bed.
Vegetable plants are particularly suitable, but you can also plant the mound with flowers - especially if it is also intended to serve as a privacy screen.
Planting hill beds – the advantages
In a mound bed, layers of different materials are created, which then gradually rot and slowly and regularly release nutrients. A biological system is created. Since heat is also produced during rotting, this also promotes plant growth. They develop faster than in a normal garden bed. The same also appliesfor the raised bed. However, the advantage of the hill bed over the raised bed is that you can also plant the sides with one or two rows. This allows you to divide the space depending on the size of the plants when planting the hill bed. This means that the smaller specimens come further up so that they can fully benefit from the sun and not be overshadowed by the larger plants.
Disadvantages
The disadvantages are that the construction is a bit more complicated. Furthermore, the hill bed attracts voles, which can harm your plants. The bed also gradually collapses and the upper area quickly becomes dry and therefore needs to be watered more frequently. It is also necessary to regularly pile up the outer edges.
You should follow these rules
We understand that a hill in the garden is extremely practical. But what should you consider when planting hill beds?
- Hill beds have a “lifespan” of 5 years, at most 6. Then the nutrient supply is used up and you have to build a new hill bed.
- Mixed crops are not only permitted, but also encouraged and the usual way of planting. You can also use the hill bedplanting with permaculture.
- Every year the plants should be changed in each place. This means that you should not plant the same plant in the same place in the hill or raised bed twice in a row. Correct crop rotation is extremely important for the nutrient supply of plants, because each requires and takes different nutrients from the soil.
- Consider plant tolerance. Some compete with each other, which disrupts their development. Others support each other.
- Each plantlet benefits from a mini terrace. This gives it a flat surface for the water to seep into. If it's sloping, it tends to run downwards before it gets into the ground.
Hill bed planting plan – which vegetables can go into the bed in each year?
Planting a hill bed – first year
The hill beds are natural immediately after creationparticularly rich in nutrients. It is therefore important to avoid plants that have low nutrient requirements, as they tend to accumulate too much nitrate if overfertilized. And this is harmful to health. Therefore, choose high-energy vegetables. So which plants are suitable for the hill bed?
- Cucumbers
- Kohlgemüse
- pumpkin
- Leek
- Paprika
- radish
- Saddlery
- Tomatoes
- Zucchini
In autumn, when the first season of the hill bed is over, it is recommended to spread a new layer of compost over the hill and, if necessary, enrich it with nitrogen.
Year 2 of the mound bed
In the second year, the plants mentioned above are also suitable again, but then swap places. In addition to the vegetables from the first year, you can also plant your hill with the following medium feeders:
- Strawberries
- Carrots
- Kohlrabi
- Rote Beth
- Onions
Plant the hill bed from the third year onwards
Now the time has come when you tooNitrate collecting vegetablescan plant. These and other weak eaters for the third year are, for example:
- Beans
- Green beans
- Peas
- Herbs
- Mangold
- radish
- Salat
- Spinach
- Sweet peas
Plant the hill bed with flowers
Of course, you can't just create a vegetable patch on a slope. Also decorativePlants for hill beds are a wonderful idea. You can also do wonderful flowerscombine with vegetables. So as you can see, a hill like this can be used in many different ways.If you want to plant the hill bed correctly,applies in general: All flowers that like sunny locations are suitable, while shade-loving ones are unsuitable.
You can plant flowers of your choice for the hill bed because, unlike vegetables, nitrate accumulation is not a problem with flowers. However, if you like flowering culinary herbs andPlant medicinal plantsIf you ultimately want to eat them, follow the same principle as with vegetables: start with high-nutrition ones and then gradually move on to low-nutrition ones.
If, on the other hand, you have the hill beddesign with perennials, you get the practical advantage that these have deeper roots than vegetable plants, for example, making the bed more stable. Medium-high trees are ideal if you want to use the hill bed as a privacy screen or windbreak. Berry bushes are also ideal for this.
