Kitchen Garden Forum

Just wondering whether anyone may be interested in my lazy way of doing garden beds.

I don't do digging anymore (or windows), so I do the following and it is totally successful for me. This has also been done out in the paddock, without having to dig up the soil. Beds were put down straight on top of the paddck grass. The thick newspaper stops grass/weed growth.

Put sheets of tin, aluminium or logs, boards etc. whatever is available for the sides.

Water the bed area thoroughly and then layer newspapers (thickly, watering between each layer), then sprinkle a bit of blood and bone over and between the layers of wet newspaper (this is supposed to get the newspapers composting and the worms active I believe).

Then layer hay/lucerne hay, with manure and compost added between layers as well as sprinkles of blood & bone, until built up almost to the level of the sides. I also usually spread about in the hay any uncomposted kitchen scraps - everything can go in - herb cuttings i.e comfrey leaves etc.

Top it up with soil and more manure.
Then finally the mulch.
It all composts into a rich and worm filled soil.
Over time it settles further and further down, but the yearly topping up with compost, mulch, manure etc. keeps it at a good level.
Another layer of lucerne hay can be added on top again the next year under the compost, mulch etc.

It sounds a lot of fiddling about, but I don't mind that. The no digging is what I like.

I have been doing my beds like this for 6 years now and they just need topping up with manure, compost mulch etc with each years planting.

As I said, it is my less physical no-dig way, but it works for me.

Dear DahlisMarie, i wish you had told me this, before i had finished digging my three allotments.
Sounds a master-piece that you are doing there.

Is this your invetion Dahlis, or was it passed on from somewhere, sounds very good nonetheless

Oh dear, OH I am so sorry!

Compo It is only partly my own. Most of the idea is from reading about no-dig gardening and I just adapted it to whatever was better for me and what I have available.

Good for you, I guess you could incorporate some chicken manure pellets into the newspaper instead of the fish blood and bone?

Compo

Is this what's called "lasagna gardening"?

Hi Chantal,
Sounds more like "Linguine gardening" to me.
JB.

Chantel your totaly right,i have a fantastic book about the very same subject.

Hi Compo
I'm sure the chicken pellets would be fine. I think anything and everything that is organic can be put in. My blood and bone here is animal rather than fish. Though I use a lot of seaweed fertilizer in the garden. I do also throw around a lot of what we have here called "Dynamic Lifter" it is a general, organic goodie pellets.

Chantal & Grock
Never heard of Lasagne or Linguine gardening - though it suits gardening in layers.
MOstly here it is just called no dig gardening and there are heaps of books on the subject.
I am sure you would find it all on websites.
Just many variations of the old system I just devised from it all what suits my style.
I just find it brilliant for me, as I don't have to dig and I can just put up a garden bed on the top of grass etc.

Some of my beds are only just a plank in height. That is still high enough to layer the paper, hay and heap soil etc. on top.

Meant to add:
My way of getting rid of grassy, weedy paths between and around beds is to carpet them.
I just put down old strips of carpet (I had plenty, but one could always ask a carpet layer for offcut strips)
on top of the grass and it works brilliant. It kills off any grass etc. underneath but does not damage the workings of the soil, worms etc. as using plastic would do.
It gradually rots away itself. I started doing it so that I could see snakes more easily and found it also suits my lazy way of gardening.