We "sheet mulch" with cardboard (tape and plastic removed) in the fall and hide it with straw. Come spring, what's left of it (worms love the stuff) is mushy enough to plant seedlings right through it, then we layer on grass clippings. Unsightly bits such as tea bags are tucked UNDER the cardboard (winter) or go to the compost heap (summer) with the barn bedding (which, if hot, as in full of poultry manure, must age before going to the garden).
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Here there is cardboard across the whole garden, paths and all, cleverly hidden beneath straw and autumn leaves. The leaves are on the beds, on top of a general layer of straw. Worms move freely underneath and find plenty of work to do.
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Seedlings may be set out directly through the mulch and the softened cardboard in spring. I prefer a right-angled trowel, or Korean hand hoe, for this work. At 63, I find a kneeling bench indispensable as well.
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Keep lots of planting soil mix on hand, homemade or commercial (organic preferred). To sow seeds directly, pull aside mulch and wet cardboard to expose mineral soil and throw in a handful of mix.
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As things put on size, add more mulch. Everything grows and gets a head start on the weeds without cultivation. If wet weather ensues, you may find a lot of slugs*. Hand pick aggressively and give them to the poultry to boost egg production.
Wheat sprouts in our straw; when this happens, we give it a week or so and then flip it over. Weeds will figure out this system by late summer but can be selectively beheaded with a sharp hoe. If they get ahead of you in patches, bring more cardboard, hiding it under straw as you did last fall.
We find that a garden grown in this fashion is much more resistant to disease, insects and drought than a tilled garden, even here in the Northwest. No poisons or commercial fertilizers required. "Your mileage may vary."
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* Yes, we are Oregonians.
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* Yes, we are Oregonians.
I really like this concept of reusing cardboard. For sure you have much more rain than we get here in the dry southwest, (that has been a learning experience for us since normal composting instructions never seem to allow for dry places).
ReplyDeleteHere I was, wondering what to do with all of the straw I cleaned out of the coop from winter (deep bedding)! Now I have a plan... thanks!
Where you are the cardboard may not be as useful right where you are going to plant as here. But you should still find that a decent mulch will reduce the need to water. wood chips are thought to be a bit too acid and prone to rob nitrogen as they break down, but we haven't been seeing this -- so they might be an alternative. Compost in the holes for seedlings should offset any nutrient deficiencies. A soil test may let you know what's what. If the deep bedding is full of poop (it is, right?) it makes GREAT compost, but used right next to seedlings can give them a chemical burn. Skip a year before putting it in the beds if you can.
ReplyDeleteI forget to pull off the plastic and tape, then find it floating to the surface after a few months. Not good, I'm sure, but at least it finally gets removed from the garden. I also throw my cardboard out into my field and forget about it for a while, then come back and find it all soggy with the labels and tape sliding off easily. Diligence and hard work are all very well, but sometimes you are served by sloth also. (Not recommending it, just sayin') Lonni
ReplyDeleteAnother way in which we are well served by idleness: I leave my straw bales in a boggy part of my yard and forget them. They suck up moisture and rot for a year. Everything that is going to sprout, sprouts, becomes demoralized, and dies.
ReplyDeleteNow, related to dead straw with fungal growths on it: I read recently that fungus in your garden beds can deter symphylans. I have mushrooms and fungi growing everywhere. I hope they are keeping the tiny symphylboogers at bay.
Yes, we age our cardboard in the rain before peeling, when we can. Also the straw bales. I have my doubts about any actual slothfulness on your part, however. ^__^
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