posted 7 years ago
I built a hugelkultur about 4 years ago as an experiment, and as I took it apart this spring in preparation for selling the house (it looked like a grave...) I took a sample of the soil there and sent it in for analysis at my local extension office. The pH, organic matter, nitrate, and potassium are all similar to my sheet mulched beds, but the phosphate is through the roof at 253 ppm compared to 110-119 ppm in my other beds. (The testing service says the "optimum" range for growing veggies is just 47-76 ppm.) What to do about it is a moot point since I'm moving out, but how on earth did it get that way? This hugel bed was built without any manure of any kind, just rotten wood and green plant matter. I didn't notice any nutrient deficiencies (zinc or iron) in the plants that were growing there. Has anyone else seen outrageously high phosphate in a hugel bed? What do you suppose caused it? Thanks in advance.