Sheet Mulch Gardening
We are transforming a 350 foot patch of yard into a sheet mulch garden. The area to be transformed is part moss, part grass. I am under the impression that we can build the layers on top of the area as is (ie. without tilling the moss and grass).
Is this correct?
I look forward to any insight any of you out there may be able to lend.
Thanks abunch,
Kari
Vancouver Area Relocalisation Network
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May 8th, 2007
Sheet mulching
Kari,
I am not an expert, but I have been told and used sheet mulching quite successfully. I'm not sure if it's too late in the season to do this now, but what my friend Max says is that whatever you plant, mother earth will do her best with it.
I mulched my existing garden area a month ago and saw amazing results - lots of new worms, decomposition, etc.
I attended a workshop on soil mulching where I learned about this; someone posted the notes at http://www.myownbackyard.ca/forum/viewtopic.php?t=134
Just start with newspaper or cardboard to cover the grass completely. Then cover this with grass clippings, seaweed, compost, leaves, whatever organic material you have. (carbon/leaf layer on top to keep smell down) Some say five inches thick. By blocking all sunlight to the soil, it's supposed to encourage more worms and decomposition. I just found stockpile of leaves in a local park and scrounged grass clippings from neighbours.
The workshop instructor was a really hardcore biodynamic gardener, so her rules were to never dig the soil and always to have it covered - let nature do it's thing. But of course people are less extreme still getting results.
Good luck.
Daryl
You might want to email Max directly (maxicat on this site). Getting [organic food] gardens started is his passion.
Or check out www.cityfarmer.org