Re: Bed preparation
- Subject: Re: Bed preparation
- From: E*@aol.com
- Date: Fri, 30 Aug 2002 13:01:21 EDT
There is one more way to go about it if you are not in a hurry. The is done
best in spring while cleaning up or fall when clearing old beds. That
would be when lots of compost headed materials are handy.
You can spread newspaper, quite a few layers and I noticed Gene mentioned wet
newspapers which is an important part. Mark the area desired and covered
completely with newspaper. Add all of the cut down perennials, leaves (not
the sort that mat), spent potting soil, anything that will decompose
eventually.
This will make an untidy area that will turn itself into a a very good
planting bed with little labor. In fact if you have compost bins (we no long
use any bins) or piles in some of out of the way place, this will save you a
bunch of wheelbarrow trips. This piled up arrangement will flatten out over
the winter quite a bit so piling high is a good idea.
If you are the tidy type and this creation will distress your sense of
garden, you can get some wood chips and disguise the whole thing as a mulched
area.
No sodium glysophate is needed (though could be used) and the area, if done
in the fall and with sufficient moisture, could be planted in the spring. I
have done it both ways. Since I am not in a hurry, I let it sit a year.
Since we have rocks everywhere and tilling is not possible we have done this
for years. When planting and I encounter a rock, if it is not too large, I
pull it out. If it looks like a really big one, we plant around it. A lot
of plants do well next to submerged rocks so I don't worry about them.
This is a no labor approach and it works in all soils with the possible
exception of very sandy soil. I once had a property with sandy soil. You
could easily dig forever but it did not hold water. The whole garden was
supported by hoses and has I been more experienced at the time, I would have
ordered something humusy by the truckload.
Claire Peplowski
NYS z4
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