Core Gardening

You may have heard of something called Hügelkultur, where you create a planting bed using large amounts of carbon such as wood and sticks to slowly decompose underneath soil.

Why? Because it helps with water retention, and it also feeds the microbiome in your soil. In fact, it can reduce your water use significantly. Some report that they don't water at all by using this method.

Did you know you can do the same exact thing on a smaller scale?

If you have raised beds, it's entirely possible for you to reap the benefits of Hügelkultur, but without needing access to land or larger materials. It's called the Core Gardening Method.

Gather some straw, and dampen it with some water. Dig a channel out in the center of your bed, and put the straw in like in this photo. Don't pack it down - instead, lightly cover it with soil, and plant as usual.

That's it, you're done. You can plant anything anywhere in the bed, and it won't mind the straw. Some gardeners plant directly in just straw, actually!