3 inches of mulch + a few months = garden bed

Posted by Joe Bauer on May 7th, 2008 filed in gardening, landscape

When you want to start a garden, chances are you’re going to have to get rid of some grass.  You could spray non-selective herbicides or till, but those methods require harsh chemicals or hard labor.  My favorite method is to smother the existing lawn, usually with mulch.  I think the best time to start this is in the fall, because then you have a good grass free zone by spring.  If you use leaves to accomplish this you get the added bonus of a thin layer of compost in the spring.  Those who have a deep hatred of weeds would wait a whole year- then there’s little chance of any seasonal weeds slipping through, but I think that’s a bit excessive.  If you’re planting native plants you don’t normally need to get crazy with tilling the land after you’ve smothered it.  Remember, nobody tills the land for these plants in the wild and they do just fine.  Remember to use a thick layer (about three inches) of leaves or mulch, let it stay untouched for a few months, and you’ll do just fine.  This is my kind of gardening- no hastle, no rush, and no chemicals :)

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7 Responses to “3 inches of mulch + a few months = garden bed”

  1. Condo Blues Says:
    May 8th, 2008 at 10:16 am

    I find that a layer or newspaper under the mulch works to keep weeds at bay in the garden instead of using traditional weed barrier cloth.

  2. Joe Bauer Says:
    May 8th, 2008 at 12:09 pm

    That’s a pretty good tip. I’m in favor of using bio-degradable stuff instead of the black plastic or cloth, like you’ve mentioned. There is also a camp of organic gardeners who say that good compost makes a better mulch than the traditional wood/bark based mulches. I usually don’t have enough compost to use it for that purpose, so I don’t have any experience with using it in that way. Anyone else done it?

  3. Jess Says:
    May 9th, 2008 at 11:26 am

    I don’t like using chemicals in the garden so I would use newspaper and cardboard weighted down with a few bricks.

  4. Ankit Says:
    May 10th, 2008 at 3:51 pm

    u hv a gr8 website…….superb blog……nicely design…..keep it up!:)

  5. heidi Says:
    May 13th, 2008 at 8:17 pm

    I love this idea. I usually spend the entire spring and summer pulling weeds so will give this a try.thanks

  6. NS Jones Says:
    May 14th, 2008 at 2:18 pm

    How about a post on what native plants are good for hanging baskets? My husband and I are looking for good choices but not finding much.

  7. Joe Bauer Says:
    May 14th, 2008 at 10:16 pm

    wow, I hadn’t thought of hanging baskets, or any type of container planting for that matter. I like the idea. I’ll do some research on that one. Thanks for the suggestion!

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