Go Natural with Narcissus
Letting Nature do the Work
Holiday Giving
Building Soil w/ Earthworms

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     Now is the time to get a jump on spring. If you want to plant in a new area next spring, this is the time to prepare the soil-but don't get out the shovel. Instead, select your spot and sheet mulch (aka sheet composting) the area this fall. Here's how:

     Outline the spot where you want your new planting area. (You can trench around the area if you wish, but it is not necessary.) Mow the grass or weeds with your mower at a low setting. Water the ground well where you want your new bed.

     Using cardboard sheets (preferably unprinted) or black and white newspaper sheets, completely cover the area. Large boxes in which appliances are shipped are excellent, because it takes only a few to cover a large area. Make sure you overlap the sheets so that all soil, weeds, and grass are covered.

     If you are using newspaper, use several layers. Thoroughly wet the cardboard or paper. Choose a warm day to do this project and get out the hose, old tennis shoes, or enthusiastic kids. Stomp around on the cardboard or paper to make sure it is thoroughly wet. This is the layer that kills the weeds, so be thorough!

     Next add a good layer of manure on top of the cardboard or paper. The layer should be about four inches deep. Thoroughly soak the manure once it is in place. The manure can come from cattle, horses or sheep and it need not be composted first. Check with stables, farms, or other local sources for fresh manure. (Ask the rancher or farmer if his/her animals are given any drugs. If so, look further to find cleaner manure.)

     Finally, add a layer of mulch. Straw or leaves make a good choice of mulch. Leaves are usually readily available in the fall, and they are light-weight and easy to manipulate. In addition, they bring with them the nutrients from deep in the ground in which they were grown. The mulch layer should be about twelve inches deep. Thoroughly wet the mulch, then let nature take her course.

     The cardboard or paper layer acts as a barrier to the grass or weeds underneath and smothers the plants. The manure add richness to the area and helps break down the cardboard and the mulch. By the time spring arrives, the cardboard will be disintegrated enough so that you can pull aside some of the mulch, dig into the rich new soil and place your new plants without the back-breaking work of spading up a whole new bed. Add new mulch as the old breaks down, and you have created a wonderful new planting area with very little work.