STIHL tip
As well as vegetables, flowers such as marigolds can be grown in a mound bed. As well as looking pretty and having edible flowers, they also drive out harmful threadworms.
Create a mound bed – with practical instructions
A mound bed is perfect for planting vegetables early in the growing season. Learn how to create your own mound bed!
21.11.2025
Overview: How to create a mound bed
- A mound bed consists of several layers of organic material
- Cuttings and plant waste can be recycled
- The best time for creating the bed is autumn, the best time for planting is spring
- Pay attention to the east-west orientation
- Creating an edge with stones or a privacy screen design are possible
A mound bed lasts about 4 to 6 years. By that time, the branches in the mound bed will have decomposed and the mound sagged so much that it's better create a new mound bed in another place.
In the first year, you should plant heavy feeders, in other words plants that draw a lot of nitrogen from the soil. Heavy feeders include cabbage, cucumber, pumpkin and tomatoes.
A lot of different types of vegetables and herbs can be grown in a mound bed.
The sloping sides mean that the growing area in a mound bed is larger than it is in a flat bed. This means you can harvest more vegetables and winter vegetables.
Furthermore, a mound bed warms up faster because the sun's rays hit it at a steeper angle. The organic material also releases heat, so you can harvest what you have grown earlier.
The advantages of a mound bed
A mound bed is a garden bed in which several layers of organic material, such as branches, cuttings and compost, are systematically replenished – similar to a raised bed. However, it has its own unique advantages:
Regular trimming keeps the mound bed in good condition.
The mound shape, with its sloping sides, increases the growing area without taking up more space in the garden. This also means that the bed blends harmoniously into a small garden.
Garden waste, such as cuttings and plant remains, can also be recycled in the bed. This enables natural, sustainable gardening.
The decomposition of organic material releases heat, which is a clear advantage, especially in regions with long winters: The vegetable season can be started 2 to 3 weeks earlier than in the normal, open air.
Mound bed preparation
Before you create a mound bed, you should consider a few things – above all, you need to know the right timing, orientation and size. You should also have suitable materials, tools and protective equipment ready so that you can start to work on it without any problems
The following material represents a good starting point:
- Branches and shredded material
- Straw or leaves
- Turf from the base area
- Coarse and fine compost
You will also need to have high-quality, clean tools and the corresponding accessories to hand:
Tool
- Wheelbarrow
- Spade
- Shovel
- Rake
- Battery-powered mower, for example the STIHL RMA 448 PV
- Battery-powered garden pruner, for example the STIHL GTA 26
- Electric chipper/shredder, for example the STIHL GHE 250
Accessories
- Tape measure
- Cord (e.g. hemp cord)
- Small, not-too-thick wooden pegs
- Rubber mallet
- Hose with spray head
Working with high-performance power tools is fun and allows you to broaden your skills, which is great if you can rely on effective and safe protective clothing. Always wear your personal protective equipment when working with STIHL power tools. Find out more in your product's operating instructions. Before using your power tool for the first time, fully familiarise yourself with it and ensure that it is in perfect condition before each use.
On request, your STIHL dealer will be happy to prepare your power tool for its first job, and will also advise you on models and sizes of protective clothing that you can try on at your leisure. Please remember that personal protective equipment is no substitute for safe working.
The best time to create your mound bed
Autumn is the best time of year to create your mound bed. This allows the layers to settle before planting in March or April. However, it is also possible to create it in spring.
Orientation
When creating a mound bed, you should make sure that it is oriented north-south so that all sides get enough light. Make sure that the bed gets at least 5-6 hours of sun a day.
Size
The bed should be about 150 centimetres wide, 3-4 metres long and 1 metre high to ensure that the plants have enough space.
Structure: Creating a mound bed
As with filling a raised bed, different layers are also needed in a mound bed. We explain step-by-step how to structure your mound bed:
First mow the area where you want to create your mound bed to a short height – for example with a STIHL RMA 448 PV battery-powered mower. Collect the grass clippings in a waste bag so you can use them later.
You should also measure the area and mark it out with pegs and cord. The ideal size is 1.5 metres wide and 3-4 metres long.
Remove the turf with a shovel and spade and place it next to the bed. Then dig the area to a depth of 15 to 20 centimetres – you can temporarily store the soil at the side of the bed.
Break up thicker branches with a diameter of 5-8 centimetres into smaller pieces about 30-50 centimetres long. You can use the STIHL GTA 26 battery-powered garden pruner, for example, for this. Stack the branches so that they are around 80 centimetres wide and 40 centimetres high in the middle of the bed.
Now place the grass cuttings from step 1 between the layered branches.
Break up the shredded material, such as thin branches and hedge trimmings, with a chipper/shredder, such as the STIHL GHE 250. Layer it over the branches and push it down firmly with your feet to compress it.
Now place the turf, with the green side facing downwards, on top of the branches and shredded material.
Layer 20 centimetres of straw or damp leaves on top of the turf.
Add a 15 centimetre-thick layer of coarse, semi-rotten compost or rotten horse manure to the top of the mound bed. You can add another layer of compost, 15 to 25 centimetres thick, directly on top of it.
The last layer of your mound bed is a layer of the soil you dug up and compost mixed at a ratio of approx. 1:1, which you now need to water thoroughly. After a day of rest, the mound bed is ready to be planted with seeds!
Your helpers for building a mound bed
Mound bed: Watering
Immediately after layering your mound bed, you must ensure enough irrigation to prevent the loose top layer of soil from drying out.
Create a channel several centimetres deep on the top of the bed so that your plants can absorb all the rain and water they need.
A hand-wide deep recessnext to it, dug by hand, will also prevent unused water from running off.
A pearl hose with small pores can be used to ensure the roots get enough moisture and will enable gentle and even watering.
Crop sequence: Planting your mound bed
You can plant your mound bed the day after building it. To do this, you can dig holes for the plants and insert seedlings or use a hand shovel to create grooves across the slope for sowing seeds.
The rows you plant or sow in should always be horizontal to the bed. This stops water from draining down a row.
Plants that need a lot of water should be planted lower down. On the other hand, tomatoes, aubergines and peppers thrive best at the top of the mound.
Radishes, loose-leaf lettuce or spinach can be sown between vegetables with wide spacing, for example cabbage, to make optimal use of the bed area. By the time the cabbages have grown, the catch crops are also ready for harvest.
If you want to plant vegetables in a bed, it is important to know when you should plant what. Here is one way you can maintain the crop sequence in a mound bed:
- In the first two years, heavy feeders are more suitable, i.e. plants with a particularly high nutrient requirement that absorb a lot of nitrogen. These include cabbage, corn, pumpkin, courgette, celery, cucumber and tomatoes.
- From the second year onwards, you can grow medium feeders, such as carrots and onions.
- From the third year onwards, you can plant light feeders that require few nutrients – this makes sense as the mound bed's nutrient content decreases every year. Light feeders include lamb's lettuce, rocket, garlic, runner beans and peas.
How to plant a raised bed
In our guide, you will learn that a mound bed can be planted just like a raised bed – with a crop sequence that ensures that all the plants get enough nutrients.
Our article explains which layers you should use to fill your raised bed and what to remember when planting.
Creating a mound bed: Permaculture
Permaculture refers to a cultivation method that aims to create usable, self-preserving ecosystems. Creating and planting a mound bed as a permaculture works by continuing to use old garden waste as fertile soil and therefore re-using it.
You do not have to use additional fertiliser as the compost and, if used, horse manure provide enough nutrients on their own.
Edging & use: Ideas
If you want to customise and maintain your own bed, such as a mound bed with an edge, we have some tips and ideas for you:
- Mound bed with stones: Large natural stones or old bricks can be used to create a rustic and attractive edge.
- Mound bed as a privacy screen: By planting your bed with tall grasses that act as privacy screens, you can protect yourself against prying eyes.
- Cover the mound bed: When preparing your garden for winter, you should cover the bed with a tarpaulin so that the valuable nutrients in the soil are not washed out by snow or persistent rain.
