Recycling and gardening!

I love sheet mulching! Thanks for sharing this additional take on it. I bet this is a great spot to harvest fishing worms!

-- GardenMentor, Seattle, WA (zone 8/9), www.gardenmentors.com & www.gardenhelp.org

I’ve been saving some weekend papers. I thought I’d lay them out on the my “triangle flower bed” to cover the grass before putting a load of dirt on top.

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

The more you put, the better!

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

If you’re sheet mulching to remove grass, be sure you “trench” the edge of the new bed. Any grass that gets light or is travelling underground will keep on keepin’ on. By cutting a trench along the edge, it helps break the bed from any surrounding grass. Tuck the cardboard down along your trench to keep the light out from all the grass. Good luck!

-- GardenMentor, Seattle, WA (zone 8/9), www.gardenmentors.com & www.gardenhelp.org

Yes, that is what I do and in the trench I put about one inch of saw dust and a slice of cedar log all around the perimeter

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

This is awesome … all these years creating my beds the “hard way” ... digging, weeding, raking, digging, weeding, raking … so many new things to learn and put to good use!!! Thanks for talking about this …

-- "A perfect garden is just a garden to be in-perfection. Mornings to work on it and evenings to pause and look at it." Southeast Michigan, Zone 5a/5b

Too many things to do all the time. I’m always looking for the easiest way. Also, I like being as “Green” as I can and like you, not always able to do heavy work, so….
I have always enjoyed learning and what good is it to learn if you do not pass it on….

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

You are right there … it does no good to learn if you can’t pass it on somehow. Becomes “dead knowledge” in my opinion. It’s what makes this site so great.

And, yah since my accident life has been an uphill climb and lifting is very difficult and really a no-no (although I don’t always “behave” :-)). So this thread is really exciting … cuz I could actually attempt to do this in stages, as my body allows. Anything to keep me gardening and active … and out of hubby’s hair – haa

-- "A perfect garden is just a garden to be in-perfection. Mornings to work on it and evenings to pause and look at it." Southeast Michigan, Zone 5a/5b

Well, anything we can do to keep you out of hubby’s hair is fair game!
And “behaving” is very boring!!
I do not know how to behave so…
I go from one thing to the other depending how my body feels!!

What other hobby do you have? Care to “share”?

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

Gardening had been the only real hobby between working full time as Director of Admissions/Public Relations at a private school, being married and raising 3 children not to mention keeping the house clean and running. Makes me tired thinking back … LOL!!

After the accident it took me 2 years to get back outside. I really worked hard to get back into “my dirt”. It is an activity that I value very much.

My stamina is quite limited now since “that awful day” as well as what I can do physically. It’s not a hobby, but I love to walk with my new friend (Ms. Cane) when weather permits. Given me back a bit of freedom. I love to read really good stories with happy endings; tend to my inside garden; cook, and trying my hand at knitting—okay really keeping my MIL busy with “wait, how do you do that, phone calls”. I would love to try my hand with stained glass … just need to do it. I also got to share my love of gardening with all the “young folk” that moved in by our old home. I helped (okay “pointed and clicked”) with some of their landscaping, helped them pick out plants, etc … got them excited about gardening. (Hoping I can do the same thing here, cuz they don’t do much with their yards here.) And last, but not least I have these wonderful grandchildren that fill my life and make me smile … along with my children.

Eklectic, gardening is really my true love … and my husband has created a few different pieces for me that allow me to be in the garden.

Not sure if this is what you wanted to know about me … hope it’s not TMI. Oh, and I love to “gab”—haha! can you tell??!! :-)

-- "A perfect garden is just a garden to be in-perfection. Mornings to work on it and evenings to pause and look at it." Southeast Michigan, Zone 5a/5b

No, it is not too much. Whenever you fell like “gabbing” feel free!
You sound like somebody I would like to have living next door and a friend!

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

Thanks your very sweet! “Gab” at ya later :-)

-- "A perfect garden is just a garden to be in-perfection. Mornings to work on it and evenings to pause and look at it." Southeast Michigan, Zone 5a/5b

Thanks Jed :-)

-- "A perfect garden is just a garden to be in-perfection. Mornings to work on it and evenings to pause and look at it." Southeast Michigan, Zone 5a/5b

we in anticipation of expanding our garden, laid several layers of newspaper over the area we will be using last fall, right after a rain, just a couple weeks before a freeze, won’t have alot of work to do in the spring this way, removing sod, without mechanical aid, well sorta sux!
a tip for others:
newspaper printshops sometimes have and will sell “end rolls” of their paper, un-printed for very cheap, these will have alot on them for this use, but not enough for them to use in the press’s.
We are lucky, our neighbor has what I believe is every newspaper he ever read, stored by the sack full in his out building

-- Old Pharmer Phils Country Living Phorum - http://pharmerphil.proboards37.com

Eklectic: Have you ever done any worm composting?

-- Dahlitsa

Pharmerphil: I did this with newspapers, cardboard, horse manure, leaves and grass clippings. I did this in the spring so you could still add. I then added some fresh soil on top and planted. It went wel.

-- Dahlitsa

No, but would love to learn how to. Care to tell me how?

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

You can research on the Int. but I just laid down the cardboard, added some water with the hose, some newsprint then the other things mentioned along with some unfinished composst from my bin then put some fresh soil over the top and planted. Simple as that…no digging up. Great as you are getting older and cant handle the heavier work!

-- Dahlitsa

Similar to Lasagna garden, the way I do it.
Harder to use on older beds?

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

Oops Eklectic. My eyes went to two different topics. I think the one I should have answered was about worm composting. Its really quite easy and a lot can be learned from the Internet too. I got my first worm from the county free along with a bin. They did so well that I now have 8 and have been getting lots of rich compost. It is very expensive too. My reseaerch also found that it is one of the best. Looking forward to making use of it in the near future.

-- Dahlitsa