Hello from Michigan!

My name is Logan Byrd - I've mostly done indoor hydroponics (tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, peas, radishes, etc) and I made it my goal this year to expand into natural / outdoor gardening as well.

Our soil is very poor and clay-heavy, so my plan is to pick up some used 55 gallon drums (that had food safe contents!), remove the top and bottom, and convert them into tall hugelkultur-like raised beds.
I have some logs ready to go, and I've been freezing plant and meat scraps over the past few months for nitrogen.

I've seen other people have success with the "melon pit" setup, so I want to try doing the same in a raised bed

Logan, welcome to Permies! You have a great goal, and I think Permies will be a great place to find information for success. I hope you'll keep us updated! I'd be interested in how you make your beds and how well they work for you.