All you need is old News Papers:
- Water your garden really good before laying!
- You can either take the news papers and soak them in water in a large container before you spread them or wait to a non windy day and lay them, then spray down with water. It always seems to become a windy day when I try the later, God has a since of humor!
- Lay enough that they are overlapped well and no ground is showing.
- Keep watering, this will make the lack of weeding easier. Oh, if you get board, I guess you can read as you garden, lol!
- Figure out the summer before where you want your new garden and mark it.
- Lay about 1 inch layer of news paper. You can either take the news papers and soak them in water in a large container before you spread them or wait to a non windy day and lay them, then spray down with water. Also with this method, lat rocks or boards on them. (Keep it as moist as you can)
- In the fall remove rocks and spread about 8 inches of chopped up leaves on it.
- On top of the leaves spread your compost, manure, top soil or sandy loom over it.
- Now here is the hard part! Sit back, read The Good Book and let the worms do all the work.
- Next spring, just till everything under and plant. You will start out with good rich soil!
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Read your garden...ha! I use newspapers like this a lot. The soaking is key to getting them to stick for me. I bury mine in cedar mulch mostly. So good for the soil.
ReplyDeleteThat would work well in flower beds as well, wouldn't it?
DeleteHi, Clint! Thanks for featuring this - this really does work well. I've been using newspapers under my mulch in the garden and have zero problems with weeds. From what I've read, you should skip using the slick ads and just use the regular newspaper, as the ink can leech into the soil.
ReplyDeleteYes that would be true. I believe most of the papers have went to soy based ink for that reason but I am very sure some have not because of its cost.
DeleteI have used newspapers in the garden, but haven't soaked them first. Good idea!
ReplyDeleteI'm visiting from the creative HomeAcre Hop.
Good tips! Would you care to share this and/or any other health-related posts at my Healthy Tuesday hop?
ReplyDeleteahumblebumble.blogspot.com
Thanks for the post...newspapers have really helped us out so much when mulching. We always soak them and then cover them with another type of mulch too. It keeps the moisture in so they don't dry up and fly away. I sometimes scavenge at the recycle center. This is a great tip to pass along to gardeners!!
ReplyDeleteWe do the same thing, although we don't take the newspaper. I have gotten around this by using cattle feed sacks. Here in NE Texas there's not such thing as a non-windy-day during the planting season (LOL) so I soak the feed sacks with water and lay them flat in the beds. I'll often top them with spent hay - looks great and all will decompose to add to the soil next year. Gardening is so much more enjoyable when you're not spending most of your garden time pulling those stubborn weeds! Thanks for sharing this post. (visiting from The HomeAcre Hop)
ReplyDelete~Taylor-Made Ranch~
Wolfe City, Texas
www.taylormaderanch.com/blog
You have some great tips here. We must have more snow or watering restrictions are coming which I dread. This will be the 5th summer for my garden and I am excited!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing at the Thursday Favorite Things blog hop xo
ReplyDeleteHi Clint!
ReplyDeleteI've been using cardboard the same way...I like using on my paths especially!
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Fabulous idea! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Marcia
This was an excellent post! Thank you so much for sharing. We've used this method and had great success with it. Hope to see you again tomorrow evening at the HomeAcre Hop.
ReplyDelete~Jenny
http://blackfoxhomestead.com/the-homeacre-hop/the-homeacre-hop-10/
I use newspaper all the time in this way. After I lay the newspaper I generally pile other organic matter (Leaves, pulled weeds with the dirt shook off the roots and stuff like that) on top of the newspapers so that when they do dry out they still won't blow away. It also just gives even more of a layer to keep the moisture in and then to turn into better soil.
ReplyDeleteI do also use cardboard and I really like strips of old carpet to go in the walk ways to keep weeds at bay there. Mulching is a wonderful tool for gardening and what is great is that many methods are completely free!