The message
from "Doug Kanter" contains these words:

"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...

I use flattened cardboard cartons instead; available free form shops.
For the covering layer I use lawn grass clippings, seaweed, bracken,
wood ash, manure; whatever raw, compostable material I can get. Very
quickly, worms start working in it, and birds start stirring up the
materials looking for the worms; so it isn't long before the raw
ingredients break down into brown friable composty material.

Janet.

Sounds great, unless you need it ready to plant within a few days.

You can still plant straight away with card. I've used two methods;
when planting a new comfrey patch into weed-infested, undug ground, I
made slits with a pade, rammed in rows of comfrey root, then laid the
card up to, but not covering, the comfrey slips, and covered with mulch.
All weeds were smothered and the comfrey thrived.

The other method, is to lay out your bed as I described then rake back
a little mulch, cut a planting-size hole through the card with a knife,
plant shrub/fruit bush or whatever, and tuck the mulch back to prevent
weeds.

I should perhaps add that where I garden has plenty of rain all year
round (about 70 " per annum).

Janet (Ilse of Aran, Scotland).