How to Build Your Own Inexpensive Garden Beds
Garden beds do not have to expensive and intricate to be beautiful and serve as a provider of fine produce. Simple designs and structures will still add beauty to your yard. Cost can be lessened by using recycled materials that you already have on hand or perhaps know where to get your hands on them. Creativity and planning will allow you to build your own inexpensive garden beds. Lasagna gardening is one example of creating an inexpensive garden. In the spring you can put down layers of organic material and begin planting right away. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Cardboard
- Manure
- Newspaper
- Grass clippings
- Compost
- Peat moss
- Leaves
- Utility knife
- Seeds
- Seedlings
Instructions
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Choose a location for your garden bed. Lasagna gardens perform best in sunny locations. If you are planting seedlings that require shade, start your bed in the winter so that the layers begin decomposing before planting season. Determine the size of your garden. Lasagna gardening makes creating large garden beds easy because there is no digging and no tilling.
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Collect the materials that you need for layering. Most stores flatten their boxes for recycling, call ahead and ask them to save some for you. Manure sources are not difficult to find if there are farms or horse stables nearby. Manure is sold by the bag in garden centers as well. Peat moss is sold in garden centers, this will need to be purchased. Collect grass clippings and leaves from your own yard and your neighbors. Compost is decomposed organic matter again it can be purchased from garden centers or you can create your own.
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Dampen newspaper, do not soak with water. This speeds up decomposition and keeps the top layer of newspaper from flying away. Lay flattened cardboard down in the area you have chosen to put your garden.
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Create 2-inch thick layers of organic material in the following order: manure, newspaper, grass clippings, newspaper, peat moss, newspaper, leaves, newspaper, compost, newspaper. The newspaper should be at least three sheets thick.
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Begin planting by cutting through the top layer of newspaper with a utility knife. Long cuts for seeds and "X" shaped cuts for seedlings. Add a 1-inch thick layer of compost around seedlings. Add a 1/2-inch layer of compost over seed rows.
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Water gently moistening the top layer of compost. Do not allow the layers to become dry, light watering every other day will prevent this. In very dry climate or weather light watering everyday maybe necessary.
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Tips & Warnings
This method can be used any time of year. However, the organic materials in the garden bed have more time to decompose if started in the winter.
Create weed free paths between garden beds place cardboard in between and cover with sand or gravel.
Borders can be made of rocks you have collected, old concrete, logs, or rain gutters turned upside down.
Manure needs to be layered on the bottom so that it does not burn the roots of the plants.
