How to prepare Hugelkultur for spring.

Merry Christmas folks! How's everyone's holiday? Blake has worked on his Hugelkultur bed today at his community farm making sure there are no open spaces left for rodents to go in or out by laying down layers of mulch. Could we use repellents (natural ones) to stop rodents from entering in the mound beds?
Also, how we keep our beds safe from being frozen to keep our soil enriched and fertile? I wanna keep things intact into the spring.
Are there ways to maintain a Hugelkultur bed during the winter when the weather gets milder? Please shoot back if you need me. Happy 2026!

The gophers seem to like nesting down deep in my beds in the gaps between the wood. I don't notice that they otherwise cause problems so I just leave them be.