Today I tried a new gardening method of weed-blocking a la Charles Dowding and it totally worked!
The No Dig method, coined by Mr. Dowding, involves putting down in this order layers of cardboard, compost, then mulch.
“Most weeds die when they are deprived of light. You don’t need to dig your weeds out — all you need to do is smother them because no plant can grow in darkness.”
- Steal all your neighbor’s recycling. Cut up the cardboard boxes, and layer them over your garden bed.
- Compost over the cardboard if you wish to put in new plantings. Or, if your bed is directly underneath a seed distributor, do not compost and just mulch to avoid any new seeds taking root.
- Mulch over your cardboard for extra light blocking and curb appeal!
To start my No Dig journey, I ventured up to the Home Depot, bought 8 bags of black mulch at 3 bucks each, and brought them back to the rock.
Why black mulch?
I read many Houzz forums about mulch use, and the general consensus was that black mulch looks more striking next to the plants – almost like the backdrop to a portrait. It makes your flowers and plants pop!
Before laying down any mulch, cardboard is needed to starve all your unwanted plants of any sunlight. The cardboard method is easy; it uses a material we all already have in our recycling!
After ‘cardboarding’, your purchased mulch goes on top to further block the sun and add beauty to the garden bed.
I mulched and I mulched and I mulched – and did I tell you it’s in the 90 degrees here in South Florida?
The garden looks polished! Adding a bit of mulch to existing flower beds brings such color and order to an out-of-sorts area in your yard.
What methods do you use to control weeds in your garden?
I’m very interested in sustainable ways to keep a garden beautiful, while doing as little work as possible.
Share in the comments below if you have any hands off, time treasured methods to get a garden working on its own over the long haul! Follow me on Facebook or Instagram to be notified of the next post.
