New here! I just learned about Hugelkultur Berms from my neighbor while sharing garden plans. I moved to a property in upstate NY on a pretty steep slope on the side of a mountain. Sent in for a soil test and is came back with zero nutrients- they said they had never seen worse soil. My guess is when the snow melts on the mountain, all the water comes running down the hill and washes away all the nutrients. My husband (who doesn't know much about perma) wants to dig a trench to divert the water but my neighbor suggested two berms at the top and bottom. I don't necessarily want to plant on the berms since our original plan was mixed raised beds/ in-ground in a fenced in garden (we have a LOT of deer) and we already have all the lumber ready to go for a 72'x85' garden. However she said doing berm would immensely improve the soil within the garden- moreso than any amendments we add. My questions are: Will it improve the soil below even if I don't plan to plant onto the berm itself? Can I put the berm outside the fenced in garden and will it actually hold back enough water? Is it worth it? It seems like a lot of labor.
