Build Permanent Beds & Paths
(Page 2 of 2)
April/May 2003, Issue 197
By Cheryl Long
BUILDING NEW BEDS
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So you a patch of grass or weeds that you want to turn into a bed: Here are three bed-building techniques, ranked from the ideal choice, option No. 1, to the quickest and easiest, option No. 3.
1) Till, compost and till again.
Kill the grass or weeds by tilling or plowing the area. (If the area has weeds that spread by runners or underground roots, it would be best to smother them using technique No. 2, before you till the soil). After you've tilled, spread several inches of compost or grass clippings and till again. To destroy remaining weed seeds, water the cultivated bed, then hoe or till shallowly as soon as weed seedlings appear. Repeat this water/sprout/hoe routine several times before planting your vegetable or flower seeds, if possible.
2) Newspapers and mulch
If you don't have time to till and spread compost, just cover the area with cardboard or several layers of wet newspapers, followed by several inches of grass clippings, shredded leaves or weed-free hay or straw. The first year, use the bed for transplants like tomatoes or peppers, rather than direct-seeded crops, and add an organic vegetable fertilizer (a fish/seaweed blend is a good choice.)
3) Instant beds using bagged topsoil
For instant beds, punch drainage holes on one side of enough hags of topsoil to cover the bed area. (Topsoil quality varies; we recommend buying your soil at a garden center rather than opting for ultra-cheap 99 cent bags at a discount store) Lay the bags out to cover the bed, cut away the tops and plant your seeds or transplants. Mulch with grass clippings or leaves to hide the plastic. The plastic bags will smother the grass or weeds, and at the end of the season you can pull away the plastic and use a garden fork or tiller to mix the topsoil in and prepare the bed for your next crop.
Whichever methods you use, if you avoid walking on the bed areas and add fresh compost each year, you will soon have rich, loose garden soil chat will warm up quickly in the spring and produce healthy, abundant crops. Spring preparation will be a snap with a garden fork or broadfork such as the one shown in the illustration on Page 70.
4) Get a Soil Test
If you're a beginning gardener, or starting a garden in a new location, have your soil tested. The cost is often less than $10. For a list of soil testing labs, go to our new Soil Testing Labs Directory at www.motherearthnews.com
You can add compost or other organic matter without testing first, but never add lime, sulfur or other amendments unless you have a soil test that indicates they are needed. You can permanently damage a soil by adding too much or the wrong amendments.
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