Hugelkultur raised garden beds are a permaculture method that uses layering of rotten wood, organic compost and soil to create a garden bed that is highly water retentive making it an ideal growing system for drought stricken areas. As organic materials break down it creates it’s own self feeding fertilizer under the Hugelkultur garden beds.
If you build a vertical Hugelkultur garden bed from reclaimed wood pallets like the picture above. Be sure to look for a “HT” stamped on wood pallets meaning they were heat treated NOT chemically treated. Luckily, less than 20% of wood pallets are chemically treated for international shipping. There are some woods that should be avoided per the article they are “Black locust (will not decompose), black walnut (juglone toxin), old growth redwood (heartwood will not decompose and redwood compost can prevent seed germination).”
