No dig border

[Borris]

I’ve been reading about creating a new border by using cardboard and mulch and just leaving it

it sounds too good to be true! Is it?

I’m in a new build and this year created a border down one side which was hard work and had lots of turf to dispose of.

I’d love to do the low effort version if it works!!

My daughter has done this in her new build. It has been successful in that she has few weeds and has shrubs and perennials which are surrounded by mulch. The downside is that she doesn't have bulbs and can't sew seeds direct. It's not a system that would work for me as I like to cram plants in every bit of earth

I'll tell you in the spring!

The pots on it are just to add a bit of interest at the moment, as I had them anyway.

I used a load of "soil improver" which we cam collect from the local waste disposal site, they compost the green bin waste and then its free to collect. Planning to add a manure & top soil mix on the spring.

Am working on the basis that the compost will have rotted down and I'll then be able to plant into it as normal.

The bits of wood are just to hold the soil on for the moment, I'll either sort a permanent edging, or cut in.

Yes absolutely, I've created loads of garden beds this way as I cannot dig anymore.

Tiespin - why can't she plant bulbs? I imagined by the next year you would be able to do so?

Chasingsquirrels - it looks good! I might try to get some pots as it's brightened yours up no end!

Plimpleplop - good to hear a success story. If I start now then will it be good for spring?

Urgh typos

I meant that I'm working on the assumption that the cardboard will have rotted down. Fully intending to plant bulbs, but not till next year.

The pots on it do make a difference, and they are mostly just perennials I've got as v cheap plugs, or sown from seeds, or cuttings. Plus some annuals. I've now planted a load of bearded iris I've had in pots since I divided them 18m ago on the basis that they are v shallow rooted anyway.

Fingers crossed for it!

What do you plan to use as mulch?

This summer I’ve been creating a no dig bed and have put about 6-8 inches of a mix of home made compost, leaf mould, and manure around each plant. The plants themselves were planted into bought compost mixed with blood, fish and bone. I have used about a 50l bag of compost and about the same of my home made mixture per m2 as I was planting things from bigger pots - and the plants have really taken off (but that might have been due to the rain too).

One thing I have found is that the manure has brought a lot of seeds so I’m really keeping an eye out for any weeds and removing them before they get established. I believe you are supposed to not stand on the bed after planting to avoid compacting the material so it’s sometimes difficult to reach the weeds from the edge of the bed. I have considered putting a block or two in so I’ve got something to step on.

I used this method last spring for a fifty foot bed over solid grass and weeds, thick layer of cardboard topped with a generous layer of compost from a local community scheme (free but you dig and bag it yourself- I imagine the same sort of thing councils sell/ give away as soil improver) I didn't riddle the wood out or anything as it was simply too much but planted straight into it and have crammed hundred of plants in which have all done incredibly!

For the first few months I had to pull out a few brambles etc that broke through but now they're drowned out.

I think if there's weeds underneath I'd be more inclined to the lay the cardboard down in late winter/ early spring when they're growing rather than autumn as the cardboard will be rotted away by then so won't block the early growth? But maybe I'm wrong there. It's been a huge success and time saver here, I'll be making more next year!

It's just turf where I'm planning the bed. I was going to use manure because my friend has horses so it's free and then bark on top. Would that be ok?

Personally, I’d use some compost around the plants themselves but it might be OK depending on the age of the horse manure according to the information on this website: https://www.charlesdowding.co.uk/faqs

Which organic matter is best?
Any kind of compost creates a productive mulch, and it’s worth buying if you can’t make enough, for the time it saves you and the extra harvests which result. The initial dose may be high, to suppress weeds and save a huge amount of time because of weeds growing less. If you count your time at minimum wage level, the compost will soon be paid for.
Suitable composts are many, preferably quite mature. Say 6-12 months for homemade compost, 1-2 years for animal manure. Compost from leaf mould and woody materials is good, and there is no requirement to use animal manures. Much depends on what is available locally. Woodchips make nice compost after 2-3 years, and then you can sieve them. Generally I do not sieve compost before applying.

• Buy mushroom and green waste compost up to three months before you need them, so they can finish decomposing and maturing in a heap. Often these composts are still hot when delivered, say 50-60C (roughly 120-140F), and spreading them at that stage results in poor growth, especially if you had filled a whole bed with immature compost like that.
• If they are cool when delivered, they have probably aged in the seller’s yard, and can be used straightaway.

I plonked a truckload of horse manure onto existing broken up turf, planted straight into it and the plants have done incredibly well. Ideally I would take up the turf and turn it over (but I didn't do that).

I've done this. The idea is that you continue to add organic matter to the plot without disrupting the soil and fungal networks underneath.

I volunteer at an organic farm where we also used "Hugelkultur", which was brilliant because it needed less watering.

Yesterday I discovered some weed & grass grow through on the first section I did (on 20 August) so feeling slightly despondent about it.
Am hopefully getting more bags of soil improver this morning to thicken the soil layer.

Over a year later but I did it today!

I'm also in a new build and did this a year ago. The cardboard took far longer than expected to rot down (still hasn't fully and yes, it was plain, non-shiny cardboard with tape & labels removed!) despite putting literal tonnes of compost/soil over it. Not to mention the insane rain we had this year. Saved myself an absolute age of hard work though which is helpful as I'm disabled.

My biggest tip, if you can’t get hold of/spread all the compost/soil to go on top of cardboard all in one go then only lay the cardboard a few feet at a time. Sounds obvious but I went on a cardboard-laying mission, thinking the rain would not only hold it in place whilst I do put compost & soil on in stages (ha!) but would rot in a few weeks - nope! So had to look at (& chase) wet, curled up cardboard all winter. Lovely. Got there in the end though.

First 2 pictures were a year ago when I was laying it, last one is this summer.

Oh wow. It's come on so much

I'll go out later today and take some photos of my no-dig border (once the rain has slowed down). It's as low-labour as you can get. In Spring, it's very difficult to completely avoid weeds, but mulching with rotted matter year after year really stunts their growth.

The key thing is to re-mulch each year. It conditions the soil, gives it structure, and balances the nutrients Yesterday I collected the latest batch of fallen leaves and piled them straight onto the border and they rot in situ. I think they look lovely as well. The worms turn the soil over through the year so the mulch does get subsumed into the soil over around 6-9 months before it needs to be renewed.

Cardboard is probably useful for a new border, but as the border matures, the combination of perennials and mulch tends to do the job.

Charles Dowding is one of my fave gardening experts, love his advice!

@Chasingsquirrels looks like you've got loads of deciduous trees surrounding you - can you add all those leaves as a top mulch? It's a battle of endurance trying to keep soil weed free, that rich dark soil on your border will be fertile ground for every weed going unfortunately. We have a field flanking one side of our garden and every spring the dandelion clockheads blow everywhere 😱I've given up worrying now. I hate to think of the state of our border without mulch!

The weeds haven't actually been that much of a problem this year (after coming through quite a lot last autumn following laying it). I weeded regularly through the spring & early summer and got things when they were tiny so they never had a chance to take hold.

The trees are sycamore and due to the seeds (of which there are SO MANY this year) I rake them up and keep them off the borders! Sometimes I bag for a few years and then use, but mainly I get the council soil improver cos it it easier for me to just collect when I need.
Plus, I don't like the leaves on the borders amd definitely not on the lawn due to dog poo picking.

Totally get not wanting sycamore seeds everywhere!