No Dig Garden Bed
Do you have a big patch of lawn that you want to transform into a garden bed? Not sure where to start?
There are two ways I make garden beds. One is for veggie patches, where I want to grow things intensively, and the other is for larger spaces, where I want to plant ornamentals or larger perennial plants.
No Dig Veggie Bed - Lasagne Method
First you need an edge. Well technically you don’t NEED an edge - but down the track it makes it easier to keep tidy so I’d recommend it. I use sleepers and I try to use untreated hardwood, or pine that’s treated with something more friendly than CCA. You can do your own research here and decide what you’re comfortable with. Other options are bricks/pavers or pre-fab corrugated iron beds.
Next cover the bottom with thick newspaper (10-15 sheets) or cardboard (make sure you take any sticky tape off). You want to make sure the edges of the newspaper or cardboard are well overlapped, and tuck the sides under your edging. Wet it very well (check to make sure it’s fairly soaked through!).
I do this on top of my couch and I haven’t had a problem with it growing through - though sometimes it does sneak under the edging.
This won’t keep down nutgrass and oxalis but these weeds aren’t super thick where I’ve put the beds and I just dig it out if I see it . For oxalis I dig with a hori hori knife and pull out all the bulbs (throw them in the bin, not the compost!). For nutgrass, I dig up as much as I can but I find it doesn’t love competition so it isn’t as much of a problem if it doesn’t get too strong a foothold and I am growing lots of other things.
Next up is the lasagne part! Alternately put down layers of manure then mulch, trying to make each thick enough that you can’t see the previous layer. Water each layer thoroughly.
I use a combination of local horse manure and store-bought cow and sheep manure. I try to let the local horse manure sit for a while before I use it, to to let it break down, but last time the bag was way fresher than I anticipated. And I planted straight into it. And nothing died. So it’s not the end of the world.
I have used sugarcane and local hay and lupin mulch and all of them work well. The finer mulches break down quicker but also don’t let the water pass through as well to start with. Whatever you can get your hands on will be perfect!
Make as many layers as you have material for.
Finally you can plant straight into it! Make little holes in the mulch, pop in a handful of compost and either sow seeds directly (as I have done in this photo - which is probably NOT clear :) ) or plant pre-grown seedlings.
No Dig Ornamental bed
For larger spaces when I just want to kill off the grass and plant larger shrubs and trees, I tend to spread some manure first - directly on the grass, then cover with thick sheets of newspaper as above. Water it well and then pile on wood chip (I use cypress chip or blend, but any type is fine). This time I leave the bed for a few weeks to make sure the grass dies off underneath and then I simply dig straight through the newspaper and plant into the soil below (sometimes with a bit of compost added to the hole). If the grass doesn’t look dead when you make your hole, cover it up for a while longer. This method doesn’t improve your soil as well but if you aren’t growing super hungry plants, it’s much more affordable and easier to do on a large scale.
Wood chip can get a bit of a bad rap as a mulch and it’s not ideal for veggies and and tender annuals but as a mulch under trees and shrubs its fantastic. It lasts longer and harbours a rich variety of fungi and mycorrhizae, which are great for your soils biodiversity.