How to Sheet Mulch

Contributor

By Willi Galloway
eHow Contributing Writer

Article Rating:

(9 Ratings)

You can build new garden beds full of rich, fertile soil without ever putting a hand on a shovel! Sheet mulching, also known as sheet composting, layers cardboard, compost, and vegetative matter right on top of lawns or weedy areas. Over the course of a few months the mulch and the underlying sod and weeds decompose. Sheet mulching increases the population of beneficial soil microbes and worms, improves soil's capacity to retain nutrients and water, and reduces weeds. But the best thing about sheet mulch is it creates fantastic new garden spaces with only a small amount of effort on your part!

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Cardboard
Compost
Leaves
Grass clippings
Wood chips
Bow rake
Galvanized metal edging

Step 1

Determine where you want to site your new garden bed. Experiment with different garden bed sizes and shapes by using a garden hose to help visualize the border of the bed.
Step 2

Prevent grass from creeping into your new bed by installing 6-inch wide galvanized metal edging around the entire perimeter (hint: use the hose to delineate the bed and help guide the placement of the edging). Pound the edging into place with a heavy rubber mallet and secure it with metal landscaping pins every 24 inches. Overlap each strip of edging 6 inches and leave 1/2- to 1-inch of edging above the soil line.
Step 3

Mow down any weeds or grass within the perimeter of the bed. Kick start the microbial activity in your soil by spreading 1/4- to 1/2-inch of compost over the soil. Then water the bed, soaking the soil down to at least 5 inches.
Step 4

Now place a single layer of heavy-duty cardboard over the entire bed. Use a box cutter to cut the cardboard to fit if your bed curves. This mulch layer smothers underlying grass and weeds and prevents weed seeds from germinating by blocking out light. Be sure to completely cover the bed by overlapping each piece of cardboard 6 to 8 inches. Saturate the cardboard with water to aid its decomposition.
Step 5

Add a 2-inch layer of finished compost or composted manure on top of the cardboard. Avoid using horse manure because it typically contains tons of weed seeds.
Step 6

Place a 4-inch layer of mixed vegetative matter, such as grass clippings combined with shredded leaves or straw, on top of the compost.
Step 7

Top the bed off with a 2-inch layer of wood chips.
Step 8

Wait 6 to 8 months for the mulch to break down and then plant directly into the rich soil in your new garden bed.

Comments

green4america said

Flag This Comment

on 7/12/2008 i think carboard is the most ecologically friendly,
and when not covered in color inks it can be very
good for the soil. a reusable resource, & 6-8 months
gives plenty of time to figure out what to plant first, gather the seeds and fill up the rain buckets. ;)

SunflowerOcity said

on 11/30/2007 Bravo!
I enjoyed your article and rated it with five stars! Please check out my seed topic related articles at the following links:
http://www.ehow.com/how_2072035_do-easy-composting-garden.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_2128557_use-coffee-grounds-garden.html
Thanks!
Chris

Willi said

on 11/13/2007 I bet! Carpet is often recommended for sheet mulching, but I shy away from it because it might be made from synthetic fibers that would never break down in the soil. Another common recommendation is burlap, but I find it just doesn't block weeds as well as good old cardboard!

Veesites said

on 11/13/2007 Good idea, using cardboard. I once tried this using old carpet to smother out the grass, and the grass merely grew through the carpet. Boy, was that hard to tear out after it was full of Burmuda grass!