On Dec 13, 8:00*pm, Janet wrote:
In article ,
says...



I have an area of rough grassland (my uncultivated back garden). The soil
isn't bad, although riddled with small flat limestone rocks. I want to turn
the patch into a vegetable patch, with about three 5ft x 30ft beds. Digging
it over would be quite an undertaking; one for which I don't really have
the stamina for. I wondered if planting certain vegetable next Spring,
would make this job easier, by smothering the grass and weeds, and perhaps
improving teh soil.

* *Use cardboard (flattened *large boxes) to cover the soil completely,
held down ideally with vegetable matter but otherwise planks. Cut x's in
the *cardboard in spring to plant potatoes, or young courgette plants,
beans etc. Or fruit trees and bushes, and garden plants Keep up the
mulching.

* Our entire garden was lawn when we arrived and all the planting has used
the cardboard,mulching *no-dig method.

* if you google permaculture/lasagne garden you'll find loads of info on
the method.

* Janet

+1. Cardboard is excellent. I'd also plant something light excluding
the first yr, like nettles, pumpkins, courgettes, rhubarb, etc. If
you've got compostable material, that can go down under the cardboard.
Permaculture will wipe out most of the unnecessary physical work that
annual gardens require year on year, but it means getting used to a
whole different set of fruit & veg.


NT