My first first hugelkultur bed on Koh Chang, Thailand.

My first first hugelkultur bed on Koh Chang, Thailand.



The site of a organic pool, 50% swim area, 50% water plants. It was obvious that we'd have a nice amount of topsoil to put to use, so we decided to build a hugelkultur bed. This bed would serve to grow food but also as a modest privacy barrier, separating the pool from a nearby foot path.



Removing the soil with an excavator we set aside the topsoil for a hugelkultur bed.



Here are the humble beginnings of the hugelkultur bed. Logs, sticks, leaves, palm fronds, coconut husks make up the center.



Using an excavator we started to pile on the topsoil.



Here is the finished pile, the beginnings of the final palm frond layer. This will prevent the soil being washed down during the rainy season.



Here you can see the palm fronds covering and the first young Pumpkin appearing on the hugelkultur bed.



Close up of the little guy. First young Pumpkin appearing on the hugelkultur bed.

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This was my first attempt so any feedback is most welcome.

Thanks

Nice.  I have read that hugelkultur breaks down pretty quickly in the tropics, so the mound might be around only for a season or two.  Still, I hope you get some good pumpkins from it :)

Hi! How'd it go? I have lots of palm fronds and compost. I also have lots of termites. Have you had any issues with termites or did you do anything to prevent them? I have some ideas and theories but wondering if you did anything that surely helped.
I am in Chiang Mai. Thanks!

Hi Simon,

wondering how the Hugelculture bed did perform in the heat of Thailand especially in our dry season?
I am still in between comfortable working levels for a retired sailor or grow at ground level more veggies.

@Leslie, Termites is something special in Thailand.
You destroy them and you get bad luck or you leave them in peace and the wooden door of your house falls out of the frame and hit you on the head which is bad luck too.
Despite this the only way is giving the mounds a good whacking with a pickaxe and let the chickens do the collection.
Termites give the egg yolks nice color and the taste is improving significantly.
Hence it's good luck to have termites ;-))