Make a new bed without digging
An afternoon · Easy · 6 steps
Smother lawn under cardboard and compost, and plant into rich soil next season. Also called a lasagna bed.
Fig. A no-dig bed in layers: built in fall, planted in spring.
- Straw on top holds it all in place
- Compost
- Grass clippings (greens)
- Leaves (browns)
- Compost
- Wet cardboard, overlapped 6 inches
- Lawn, mowed short
- By spring, it settles to about half its height
What you'll need
- Straw for mulchSee it on Amazon: Straw for mulch (opens a new tab)
A light, clean mulch that holds in moisture and keeps weeds down. Straw, not hay: hay is full of seeds.
- Garden glovesSee it on Amazon: Garden gloves (opens a new tab)
Thin coated gloves keep your hands clean and still let you feel seeds and small roots.
Amazon links are affiliate links: we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.
You'll also need
- Plain brown cardboard, tape and labels removed
- Compost or bagged garden soil
- Fall leaves and grass clippings
- A hose
Steps
- Start in fall if you can, so it has all winter to break down. Mark out the bed and mow the grass as short as it goes.
- Lay cardboard over the whole area, overlapping the edges by 6 inches so no grass finds a gap.
- Soak the cardboard with the hose. Wet cardboard hugs the ground and breaks down faster.
- Pile on layers: a few inches of compost, then leaves, then grass clippings, then more compost. Aim for 12 to 18 inches tall.
- Top it with a few inches of straw to hold everything in place.
- By spring it will have settled to about half its height. Pull back the straw and plant into the top.
Tips
- In a hurry? Make the top 4 inches pure compost, and you can plant transplants the same day.
- Seeds need fine soil: rake a thin layer of compost on top where you sow them.
Use it in Planting Year
More projects
- Start a compost pile 30 minutes, then a few minutes a week
- Build a raised bed An afternoon
- Build a compost sifter An hour