I always feel a little excited at the first signs of spring—the trees start to get leaves, the grass gets green, and then the not-so-exciting part: weeds. I think weeds are the only real downside of spring. I don’t even mind that the weather changes every second, but weeds bug me.
Instead of spending all my time weeding this year, though, I am going to try to smother them with cardboard {you can also use newspaper}.
All you have to do is lay some cardboard or newspaper {about 5 layers thick for newspaper} down in your beds, leaving a small square opening for the plants you actually do want to live. Then water the cardboard or newspaper thoroughly. It will smother out the weeds, without the backbreaking pulling, and still let the water in.
As an added bonus, the newspaper will gradually compost, providing nutrients to your beds. If you want to make a completely new bed, this method works great. Just lay cardboard or newspaper all over the area, water it, and wait two weeks to plant. When you are ready to plant, make holes in the newspaper or cardboard, stick your plants in the holes, and voila, instant effortless garden bed.
Don’t you just love solutions that don’t involve a ton of effort?
~Mavis
Emily says
I just bought a house litterally yesterday. The plan was to bulid a giant garden. This is going to be exactly what I do! I had only thought of doing this in raised beds but I suppose the concept is the same! Awesome! Now I just have to convince the SO that Im not crazy.
Lisa says
I have used this method for years now and I have to say it works like a charm! and the wormies love it 🙂
Madam Chow says
Me, too. I think it works better than landscaping cloth. Cheaper, too!
Mavis Butterfield says
Waaaaay cheaper!
mary r says
As much as my HOA despises weeds, I don’t think they would go for cardboard or newspaper as acceptable unless it was cleverly disguised somehow.
Erin says
Just cover it with a layer of compost or gardening soil, edge it with rocks, bricks, or pavers, and voila! New neat bed with no hint of what’s underneath!
Ally says
Please fill us in if that nosey HOA says something about the paper in your garden beds. HOA’s crack me up, especially the stringent ones. I’m on our HOA board just to keep an eye on things and make sure it doesn’t get too nutsy. The things people decide are important to them seriously crack me up.
Lynne says
Funny – I was wondering the same thing. I almost can’t see this passing without a comment from the crazy HOA!
Lisa says
The cardboard and/or newspaper is covered up by mulch so you don’t see it 🙂
joy says
It’s VERY important to cover the cardboard or newspaper with a mulch. The mulch keeps the cardboard from blowing away and adds compostable material to eventually enrich the soil.
diane @smartmoneysimplelife says
I’ve been doing this and it’s great. I soak the newspaper first (mostly so it doesn’t fly away) then cover with mulch.
Erin says
Tried this at our previous home and it worked well except for especially persistent buggers like crab grass. That stuff just finds a way around and through almost anything!
Catherine Foster says
You can also kill your lawn off this way. I’ve been using the cardboard method for several years, doing a big chunk of it at a time. Use the biggest pieces of cardboard you can find, bigger than flattened moving boxes, if you can find it. My recycling center has huge dumpsters that fill up every day and there’s often lots to choose from.
Jen Y says
I’ve done this for years & it works very well. One tip – wet the newspaper BEFORE you lay it. I submerge mine in a bucket of water then lay it dripping wet. That way it doesn’t blow away before I can spread my mulch.
Erika P says
Do you have to cover the cardboard with mulch or dirt? The weeds are seriously gone after 2 weeks? This tip almost seems to good to be true 🙂
Julie Ann says
Danged Arizona spring started two months ago already…I wonder if this works on my already 4′ tall weeds? LOL! I have to tug those by hand and feed them to my 4-legged compost-makers (goats). If I let them do the work themselves – they help by consuming *everything*, friend and foe. Then they walk all over what’s left. ~sigh~
i think I may recommend to desert-dwellers to use double the newspaper and weave them. I did 4-5 overlapped layers – on top and around the bases of my raised beds – even 6″ under the edges, and crappity-crap chokeweeds still made it through the overlapped edges. Then, everyone and their “family” (geeks read: species <genus <family) joins in on the fun and chaos ensues.
Kathy says
Can I lay the cardboard over plants that are dying , will it kill them? I want to put mulch over them .