Sheet Mulching: Lawn to Garden Bed in 3 Steps

we're going to show you how to use a technique called sheet mulching to turn a section of lawn into a garden bed with three simple steps sheet mulching is easy you won't need to spend all day digging up lawn turf you won't need to use any chemical herbicides to do it either you'll use readily available sustainable materials sheet mulching helps keep the weeds down and the soil moisture in and as the mulch materials biodegrade it will improve your soil quality by building organic matter sounds great right but what exactly is sheet mulching sheet mulching simply involves smothering lawn and other undesirable plants with cardboard and mulch you layer sheets of cardboard with a mulch material popular options for mulch layering are pine needles dead leaves and grass clippings once you decide to try sheet mulching you need to plan ahead the new bed will need time to rest before you begin planting four to six months is usually sufficient sheet mulching can be used in a variety of climates here in the northeastern united states fall is the perfect time to create a new garden bed that will be ready to plant in the spring now you're ready to get started with three simple steps to sheet mulching the three steps are lay out the new garden bed dig the edge of the new bed and mulch it now we'll show you how first you will lay out your new garden bed if you want a curvy shape like for a flower bed use an old hose to lay out the approximate garden edge for a linear or rectangular shape like a vegetable bed use a measuring tape and stakes to help you lay out your bed mark your edges using upside down marking paint also called landscaping paint it is available at the hardware stores mowing the grass as short as possible in the bed area is helpful now you're ready for step two the second step is to dig out the edge of the bed digging out the edge will help to define the garden a flat bladed shovel or a half moon edger both work well dig at an angle from both sides of your outline dig each side four to six inches deep the goal is to cut out a 90 degree angle as you dig spread the soil you remove over the grass on the inside of the bed when your edge is finished water the soil and the grass now you're ready for the final step sheet mulch your new garden bed here we're using sheets of corrugated cardboard remove any tape or staples and cut to shape you can also use layers of newspaper layer at 10 sheets thick and don't use any glossy inserts overlap the sheets by 8 to 10 inches leaving no open spaces tuck the edges of the cardboard down into the garden outline that you dug this will help keep it from shifting over time wet down the cardboard or newspaper as you work the moisture helps promote the breakdown of the natural materials and keeps the layers in place continuing to water as you go begin layering mulch over the cardboard or newspaper use whatever natural mulch materials you have on site leaves pine needles grass clippings bark mulch and wood chips are all acceptable don't use anything you want a total mulch depth of four to six inches here we're using pine needles over the cardboard and layering bark mulch now you know three steps to turning a section of lawn into a new garden bed without breaking your back or using herbicides simply lay it out don't forget to let your new garden bed rest for a few months before you plant into it over the winter is perfect the vegetation under the cardboard will be smothered and the mulch will begin to break down building organic matter and improving soil quality when spring comes it will be ready for planting simply scoop the mulch away in the spot where you want to plant something and plant directly into the soil you want the plant's roots to be in the soil itself not just the mulch your garden will be off to a great start happy sheet mulching you