Re: Bed preparation

Hello Lynn,
    See you have had quite a bit of good advise already. Not much to add
except personal experience here. I am getting ready to add a series of new
beds to my hillside garden this fall. I will be using roundup to clear the
areas of all grasses and weeds. I have not used chemical for many years here
and I am very cautious about such things. We do use roundup on a limited
basis here and are not all that uncomfortable with the concept.
    Sure makes things easier and ensures a clean bed when starting. Once the
grass and weeds have been killed off I will go ahead and lay wet newspapers
to cover the area for insurance. Then the bales of straw I have been saving
here, letting it rot all summer. After that a layer of soil, then back to
old potting medium, chopped leaves, etc. Anything around here that will rot
in a reasonable time. Make layers until the bed is about a foot deep... it
will settle to about 8 inches by next fall. This time the borders and
retaining walls will be old pine trees that are on hand. They will quickly
rot, but that is ok... just adds to the beds.
    I have a gold variegated and a white variegated dogwood in one of the
long beds already. Have a holding area full of goodies to go up there this
fall. Hope to begin planting in drifts of some of my favorites instead of
the 3's I normally use. Also some larger perennials for a bit more drama
than I have used in the past.
    Should be lots of fun, then the anticipation all winter until it all
begins to poke their noses up come spring.
    Gene E. Bush     Zone 6    Southern Indiana
Munchkin Nursery & Gardens, LLC
http://www.munchkinnursery.com
----- Original Message -----
> Hello all,
>      We have enjoyed many days of coolness and rain, so naturally my mind
has
> been working overtime thinking about and planning an enlarged perennial
bed.
> What I would like to know from you--do you always kill the grass first
before
> tilling the soil?  What is the general thinking about this?  Any good
websites
> you know of?  I am adverse to using chemicals, but husband thinks we
should
> kill grass first with Round-Up.  Marge, I am printing out your articles on
> Planting Basics now...have not read them yet.  I was fortunate enough to
> entice the Head Gardener of Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, Douglas Ruhren,
to
> let me buy his dinner if he would give me advice for my garden.  So, for 2
1/2
> hrs. he and I discussed and came up with a rough plan to improve and
enlarge
> what I already have.  Hubby and I went out and marked it off with neon
orange
> paint this afternoon.  I will be using alot more shade plants than I have
in
> the past and am excited about the posssiblity of growing plants that are
new
> to me.  So, please give me some advice about the Round-Up.   Thanks in
> advance.
> Lynn Lamb
> NC Zone 7b

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