I love gardens and I love harvesting fresh veggies from the garden, but I hate to dig! I do own a shovel, and a garden fork, but the idea of digging up the sod for a new garden bed is just not on my list of loves. So I’ve come up with a great way to garden without digging. Actually it’s not really new, lots of people do it, but here’s my method for a no dig garden, also known as a sheet composting gardening or lasagna gardening.
Here are my simple 5 steps to get you started.
Step 1: Plan it.
When designing what my garden bed will look like, I like the mower method best. The mower method is where I mow the area I want the garden to be. When choosing a shape for your garden you can use a garden hose to create a free form shape.
During springtime in Minnesota, we are lucky to be able to see the grass, so there isn’t much difference between where I mowed and not. However, can you see that convenient shadow in the photo above? It happens to land right where I want to add on to my first No-Dig Garden.
Step 2: Scalp it.
When I mow, I take the mower all the way down to the ground, using as low of a setting as possible, and mow the grass out the area that I want to create the bed. It won’t really get the grass roots, and it’s not even necessary, but it’s a good step to take.
Step 3: Cover it.
To cover the area I like to use burlap bags, since I can get them free at the coffee roaster. You can also use old organic cotton towels or sheets, newspaper or even a biodegradable weed barrier. Just cover up all that super-short grass with a material that water can penetrate, but weeds and grass won’t. I simply laid the burlap bags down on top of the grass, overlapping it just a little bit.
(Make sure your cover is decomposable, do not use polyester sheets or old carpet. The idea is that all of this material will compost and become part of your garden.)
Step 4: Mulch it.
Remember when you mowed? Take all those grass clippings and cover up the burlap or paper with a nice thick layer of mulch. I use grass clippings and leaves as mulch on my gardens all summer long. If you like to decorate with straw bales in the fall, you can take them apart and put down a 4-6 inch thick layer on your garden. If you have a bin of compost ready, you can use a 4-6 inch layer of it, either under or over the mulch.
Step 5: Plant it.
Now it is time to plant your seeds, seedlings and bulbs. If the layers are nice and thick and loose, you’ll barely even need a trowel. I planted the flower bed with my fingers. Seedlings may require a little more dirt moving. If you used newspaper or old linens, you can poke a hole in the material for the roots to grow. If you are using burlap, the roots will grown right through it on their own.
Now you have a new raised garden bed! You will want to water the bed as needed and once the plants start to get tall, keep mulching around them. You can put down more newspaper or burlap under the top mulch if you would like, just make sure it’s compostable. Next year you might want to add another layer of compost, or you might get energetic and build a box around your now raised bed!
