Carol, I haven't read that book but I know many people who have and it's on my "to read list".
Margaret, this bed has pretty much become Trish's herb garden and she's doing great with it. The garlic did quite well over winter and most of the herbs are looking good this summer.
I'm not going to add any material to change the pH. I do suspect it'll end up being slightly acidic due to all the organic matter that we've put in, especially the wood. The act of breaking down material has an acidifying effect. I will probably occasionally sprinkle some ashes over it to boost the potassium levels and raise the pH a bit.
We did grow a tomato plant in the hugelbed this year and it had quite a nice crop!
