Editing Compost (section)

==== {{anchor|Hügelkultur}}Hügelkultur (raised garden beds or mounds) ====
[[File:End point (4315712587).jpg|thumb|upright|An almost completed {{lang|de|hügelkultur}} bed; the bed does not have soil on it yet.]]
{{Main|Hügelkultur}}
The practice of making raised garden beds or mounds filled with rotting wood is also called {{lang|de|[[Hügelkultur]]}} in German.<ref name="richsoil.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.richsoil.com/hugelkultur/ |title=hugelkultur: the ultimate raised garden beds |publisher=Richsoil.com |date=2007-07-27 |access-date=2013-07-18 |archive-date=7 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180107013815/https://richsoil.com/hugelkultur/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="permaculture.org.au">{{cite web |url=http://permaculture.org.au/2010/08/03/the-art-and-science-of-making-a-hugelkultur-bed-transforming-woody-debris-into-a-garden-resource/ |title=The Art and Science of Making a Hugelkultur Bed - Transforming Woody Debris into a Garden Resource Permaculture Research Institute - Permaculture Forums, Courses, Information & News |date=2010-08-03 |access-date=2013-07-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151105061510/http://permaculture.org.au/2010/08/03/the-art-and-science-of-making-a-hugelkultur-bed-transforming-woody-debris-into-a-garden-resource/ |archive-date=5 November 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> It is in effect creating a [[nurse log]] that is covered with soil.

Benefits of ''Hügelkultur'' garden beds include water retention and warming of soil.<ref name="richsoil.com" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://permaculture.org.au/2012/01/04/hugelkultur-composting-whole-trees-with-ease/#more-6825 |title=Hugelkultur: Composting Whole Trees With Ease Permaculture Research Institute - Permaculture Forums, Courses, Information & News |date=2012-01-04 |access-date=2013-07-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928110713/http://permaculture.org.au/2012/01/04/hugelkultur-composting-whole-trees-with-ease/#more-6825 |archive-date=28 September 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Buried wood acts like a [[sponge (material)|sponge]] as it decomposes, able to capture water and store it for later use by crops planted on top of the bed.<ref name="richsoil.com" /><ref>Hemenway, Toby (2009). Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture. Chelsea Green Publishing. pp. 84–85. {{ISBN|978-1-60358-029-8}}.</ref>