The “No-Dig” approach to creating garden beds

Oct 21, 2010

by Kathleen Lang, Lanark County Master Gardeners

If a new bed is in your plan, now is the time of year to put your plan into action. If this new bed is presently planted in lawn, you probably think that you will have to dig up all that sod. The saying “No pain, no gain” is not for gardeners. Besides being very difficult and hard on the back, digging or roto-tilling will also churn up thousands of dormant weed seeds. Finally being exposed to light and air will result in an eternity of weeding. Instead, follow these simple steps.

1. Mark the edge of your new bed with a hose. Play with the hose until you are satisfied with the size and shape of the bed.

2. Drop your mower bed down as low as it will go and cut turf as short as possible inside this edge. One can cut a small v-shaped wedge along the edge or just use vinyl edging or a bit of plastic fencing pegged in place along the edge. This edging is temporary to hold in your mulch.

3. Pile all your leaves (and your neighbour’s leaves) inside this edging over the old turf. Chewing up the leaves first with the lawn mower or mulcher is nice but not absolutely necessary. The leaves should be at least six to eight inches thick, and wetted down. If you are creating a bed in the spring or summer, newspaper, four sheets thick and wet, will do the same thing for you. This mulch will smother the old turf and weeds keeping them from growing up through your new bed. Cover your mulch with a nice mix of top soil, peat and compost to a depth of 4 to 6 inches.

4. Over the winter, the old turf and mulch will compost themselves. Your new bed will be ready for planting in the spring.

Gardening questions submitted to our website at www.lanarkmastergardeners.mgoi.ca will be answered.