Gardeners are starting seeds and doing prep for the growing season, but the costs can add up if you need to fill or refresh a raised bed. One TikToker demonstrated how they are using an ancient method to save money and create a more self-sustaining garden.
The scoop
Nikki Adams (@nikkis_garden_adventure) is a TikToker who is sharing her journey as a new gardener. She shares tips, tricks, and ways to save money on creating a garden in your yard.
@nikkis_garden_adventure This worked great for me last year when I first started making beds so I'm doing it for all my new beds this year! #hugelkultur #gardeningonabudget #raisedgardenbeds #tipsandtricks #gardening #beginnerfriendly #fillinggardenbeds #compost #logs #decompose ♬ original sound - Nikki Adams
In a clip from spring 2024, Nikki tells viewers about how she is using a method known as hügelkultur to fill her garden beds.
Almanac writes that hügelkultur is an ancient Eastern European "way of building a garden bed from rotten logs and plant debris." Traditionally, this method is simply a mound to grow on, but it can be adapted to fill a raised bed as well.
In her TikTok, Nikki goes through the steps. She starts with cardboard to "suppress any weeds growing through," and next, she adds rotting logs that "will add nutrients back into the soil."
On top of the logs, she adds twigs, grass clippings, and leaf litter. Nikki then adds compost, which costs only $20 per truckload from her local recycling center. Finally, she adds a few bags of soil along with some mulch to help keep the bed nice and moist.
At the end of the video, she says: "I like using the hügelkultur method because it's good on a budget, and it slowly feeds nutrients back into your garden bed."
How it's helping
There are many memes that tell us to "touch grass," and gardening is a great way to do just that. Studies show that getting out in nature and interacting with plants can lower stress and increase happiness.
Growing food at home is also a great way to save money and time at the grocery store. A home garden can yield up to 300 pounds of food, saving you around $600 a year.
This method of filling your raised bed is also meant to help keep your plants healthy, reducing your need to purchase fertilizer and cutting down on your water bill.
Additionally, growing food at home can help reduce our reliance on our wasteful food system. Unfortunately, right now around 30% of the food produced in the United States goes to waste.
What everyone's saying
This post has dozens of comments with folks happy to hear this tip for filling garden beds. One follower said: "Your garden is looking amazing. I remember when you first started."
A jealous gardener chimed in: "That is SO CHEAP for compost. We've paid upwards of $200/truckload."
Another commenter succinctly wrote: "It looks great."
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