What Happens When You Bury Logs & Bug Shells in a Raised Garden Bed?

In this video, I dig up logs that were buried in a raised garden bed for over 6 years and I also see what happened to Moreton Bay bug shells after being buried for 3 months in the same garden bed.

For Australian freeze dryer purchase info, use the link above and contact Harvest Right directly.

Self Sufficient Me is based on our small 3-acre property/homestead in SE Queensland, Australia, about 45kms north of Brisbane - the climate is subtropical (similar to Florida). I started Self Sufficient Me in 2011 as a blog website project where I document and write about backyard food growing, self-sufficiency, and urban farming in general. I love sharing my foodie and DIY adventures online, so come along with me and let's get into it! Cheers, Mark :)

*Disclaimer: Some links to products in this description and comments sections are affiliated, meaning I receive a small commission if you follow these links and then purchase an item. I will always declare in a video if the video is sponsored, and since starting my channel in 2011, I have yet to do a sponsored video.

#gardening #hugelkultur #garden

[asimovstarling]

Hard to believe I've been watching this channel for 6 years now. Provide I'm able to stick around and you keep making the vids, I'll still be watching in another 6.

[kathrynbillinghurst]

Hubby was an oyster farmer for approximately ten years so our property is covered with shells that are still there 22 years later…a little rough around the edges, but I’m positive they’re constantly weathering away nutrients, lime and calcium into our soils! 😅
Hubby goes fishing once a week and all scraps are buried in our vege patch!
💫R.I.P. fishies🫶
…and thanx for everything! 💕💫

[lancer]

Mark, most of the logs and log-pieces I buried in my raised beds were already "punky" or spongy, as they'd laid out in the back yard from when the previous owner of my house cut the tree down about 10 years ago. I've found that spongy quality has indeed kept the moisture in the beds, but the material is also deteriorating faster than yours, because mine had already started to break down before it was used. I'm already giving away tomatoes from just two plants, and I've kept count of the number of fruit on each plant. One has 51, and the other has 39, so far. Both still blooming. And the one bell pepper plant I have in that bed has produced 11 peppers, with 6 still on the plant, and at least a dozen blooms. Lawn clippings, raked up leaves, and leftover wheat straw has given me a fairly rich compost to work with, although not in the quantities I would like. The Hugelkultur approach works, and in raised beds has cut down the amount of maintenance work to almost nothing. I haven't had a weed to pull since March. It's a fantastic method.

[patriciakeys]

I'm very impressed with what has happened to those logs and branches. But what impresses me more is the condition of those metal raised beds after six years! No better testament to the company who made these metal raised beds that this.

[ReynoldsinTexas]

Thank you so much for taking your time to make these videos. You've helped me here in Texas I'm harvesting enough I'm able to share with my elderly neighbors!❤

[angeladoll]

Your little farm never stops impressing me sir. This Florida girl is super jealous of that beautiful dirt too❤️

[TheOccultOutsider]

that pup is too cute and loves you to bits!!

[Gardeningchristine]

It’s a little sad how excited I was to see you had a new video out! You have stoked my love of gardening for the last 4 years and I’m very appreciative!

[jacklarson]

This reminded me of something Carl Sagan had said many years ago what should be done about leftover wood products from manufacturing, He simply said "Bury it"

[simplifygardening]

Im finding similar results in my bordies beds mate. I think though its more expedited here in Wales because we are so much wetter than you as an area. but having the logs hold that moisture and wicking it back into the soil and plant roots pushing down searching for it makes for great sturdy and healthy plants. Great video Mark

[pamelamurphy]

a cliffhanger!! Can’t wait to see the next video. Very good information in this video. To see the remaining ingredients after so many years was incredible. Thanks for sharing!

[TinMan]

The chitin from the shells is amazing for pest and disease resistance. Pot growers are obsessed with the stuff😂 (legal here)
I’m moving to the country next month and will absolutely be filling my raised beds with logs, balcony gardening in the city just doesn’t cut it.

[thatguychris]

This broken down wood is amazing stuff! In my woods, when an old tree falls, I come in about 3 years later to harvest half of this spongewood and dust. It is full of fungi and other life that becomes a great kick starter when I plant trees. All new plantings get a thick ring around them composed of this old wood and lots of leaf mold. Mimicking the biology of woodlands for new trees makes them very strong and resilient.

[jaredmccutcheon]

Mark, I have been watching you gardening in raised beds for several years and this winter I finally was able to get a few for myself. I’d always grown a large garden in the ground but last year the weeds took over and I just gave in to them. I added 11 raised beds of various sizes this year and love them. In every single one of them I covered the bottom with large logs and sticks and then topped with compost and garden soil and my plants are absolutely thriving this year. I also put them on a weed barrier fabric so I don’t have to worry about the weeds growing up through them. I raise red wiggler compost worms so I added a handful teach bed when I set them up and they’re helping further break down the organic soils I added to each bed. In your honor I also located some chopped straw and mulched some beds, we don’t have sugarcane mulch readily available in California. Thanks for the many years of great and inspirational gardening content.

[RekimNZ]

6 to 7 years later, still giving back all the goodness via hugelkultur ! Excellent video Mark

[UristMcFarmer]

You seem like a pretty well-muscled man. My head canon is that the wood isn't decaying. Your hands are sumply strong enough to squeeze water out of hardwood.

[noelaird]

To be brutally honest I stopped watching you for a bit because it felt more like ads than information but this video has brought me back. I look forward to seeing the fixed bed and what's new.

[adventurecreations]

Fascinating. It's so beautiful how this wonderful planet recycles itself.

[snowstrobe]

Farming that respects that life is a cycle is where we need to get back to.
Love the videos showing insights into that.

[simplysimple]

Very interesting to see how much buried organic matter have broken down. The wood rotting from the inside out is very interesting. I even buried logs in big containers and even then they deteriorate very quickly. I also add black volcanic cinder for aeration and drainage. Works amazing here since rain is very often. Been watching your channel for years now and never get tired or bored. You aways deliver great content full of amazing stuff. Learned alot from you. Much live and Aloha from Hawaii my braddah!!🤙🏼🙏🏼❤️