Sheet Mulching Howto
Intro: Sheet Mulching Howto
Discussion and demonstration of sheet mulching for berry and food production using free cardboard and hay from local sources. There is a lot more information available on the internet and in books on this, but I thought a video showing my application might help people see how easy and accessible it is.
8 Comments
inscrewtabunny 14 years ago
lazlow69 14 years ago
lazlow69 14 years ago
suezq 14 years ago
lazlow69 14 years ago
So I don't have any intention of tilling any of this under in the future. The idea is to use it as a tool to get rid of the need to till... It supresses all the weeds for you, and I'm not sure exactly if it would help with a tight clay soil, but I would assume so. In that scenario I might put down a lot more unfinished compost / hay / manure *under* the cardboard to give the worms a lot to eat and move through the clay, and increase organic life under there.
I hope the process makes sense and that it can help you with your projects!
Best,
Sean
AmyLuthien 14 years ago
lazlow69 14 years ago
The trick is to not look at it as a time based solution, but see it as the start of setting the space in motion in a new direction. You sheet mulch, then you plant in the species you want so when the weed suppression fades, the plants are already really well established. Hope this answer helps, hope you give it a shot!
AmyLuthien 14 years ago
I was considering using this instead of weed barrier cloth under raised beds, because the weed barrier cloth they make these days has misprints on the packaging. It does not "last 20 years", more like 20 days before it's shredded and weeds are poking through. This seems to me that it would last longer, although I am concerned about earwigs moving in and calling it home . . . I'll just have to play around with it in a few months when spring arrives and see how it goes! Thanks again!