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Epic Gardening: Is it bad to put logs in the bottom of a raised bed?



Are logs bad for raised beds? Recently there’s been talk of how this popular method for filling tall raised beds might not be all it’s cracked up to be.

But why? Well, there is a phenomenon called nitrogen immobilization. The simple explanation of why this happens is because adding a ton of wood or wood chips into a soil mixture will result in a fungally dominant soil food web, which will pull nitrogen from the soil immediately surrounding the wood to help break the wood down, thus robbing it from your plants.

While this is TRUE, there are a few considerations:

1. Most gardeners bury logs deep enough in their beds that the root systems of plants grown above in the soil mix rarely make it to the log layer

2. The nitrogen is only pulled from the soil directly surrounding the wood

3. The scale of nitrogen immobilization relative to causing a true plant deficiency is minimal

in the end, we still highly recommend this method, as it saves 50 to 60% or more on soil cost, and is a great way to repurpose organic material.

35 Comments

  11. Swamp Billy

    the nitrogen loss is no big deal .once worms and fungus arrive you prob won't have problems. at least in my beds

  12. Marlena

    My grandma used to say dead bodies on the bottom of raised beds are best if you want to get great carrots. But that might be just an old wife's tale. Idk. Might try it out next season 💁‍♀️

  14. Philip L

    Not enough nitrogen because there are wood chips? Just pee on it for a season before usage.

  15. DanGus

    Why not use shorter beds so you don’t need to fill them with as much? Are the foods able to grow around the logs? Assume it’s not usable space.

  18. Jo Ann Morgan

    Watch self sufficient me it's from Australia he puts logs in the bottom of his beds and has no issues. Over the years they do break down as the world and other good bugs and bacteria move in and make a ecosystem

  22. FrozenWolf150

    As long as it's at least 12" or 30 cm deep, you should be fine. Same goes for any other kind of material that isn't fully decomposed, like if you're burying compost directly into your garden beds. By the time the plant roots reach that far down, it won't matter if the nitrogen is tied up, and the materials will release that nitrogen back when they're nearing full decomposition. You can also easily offset any nitrogen sequestration by fertilizing with nitrogen from the top.

  23. Backyard Rebel

    Too late. Already assembled with a wood layer. Did the same with a different bed last year and ended up with super rich wormy soil sooooo….

  24. Cptn d

    there was a youtube short of some woman saying logs take 10+ years to decompose, the entire comment section was clowning on her and linking SSM's video showing a log after a year of hugelkultur and it was so spongey he could crumble it in his hand

  25. Josef

    Nobody has ever said wood should not be beneath the soil. EVERYONE who knows anything says not to add wood TO the soil.

  29. Daddydeedodu

    We plant on our pet cemetery. And they grow beautifully. Uhmm… Soil at the cemetery might be more nutritious.. what do you think?😂😂😂😅😂😅😂😅😅😂😅😅

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