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Five easy steps to prepare a new garden bed

By Ildiko Sherman, Contributed story Metro Creative Connection

Want to create a new garden but aren?t sure how to start? Follow these easy steps to create a new garden bed in an environmentally-friendly way.

Step 1
Mark out the area where you want the bed to be. Use a garden hose or thick rope to help lay the edges of the planned bed. Irregular shapes with curved edges look more natural and inviting for a flower bed. You can use this method to prepare beds already in place, such as a bed you have already used for a vegetable garden or for new beds or to expand existing beds. If you are just starting out in gardening, don?t make it too big, as it may overwhelm you with work or expense. For example, a 3-foot by 8-foot bed would be a good size for a beginning garden.

Step 2
Lay down a layer of newspapers or cardboard (from flattened corrugated brown cardboard boxes). There should be about 6 to 8 sheets of layered newspaper. Wet the paper or cardboard to keep help keep it in place. The purpose of this is to smother the grass and weeds underneath and to prevent new grass or weeds from growing. The new plants will be able to send their roots right down through this layer if they need to ? roots are tough and determined.

Step 3
Cover the newspaper or cardboard with the following ? top soil, compost, animal (cow, sheep, horse, etc) manure at least a year old, old straw or hay, shredded leaves, old potting soil, veggie and fruit scraps, and coffee grounds. Make the total amount of added materials at least a foot to a foot and a half thick. If you have an established bed, you don?t need to add as much. Get free animal manure from area farms, free for the hauling.

Step 4
Top all with a layer of mulch. A nice dark shredded hardwood mulch is good for flower gardens. For vegetable gardens, the same can be used or as an economical alternative, use more straw.

Step 5
Water everything well. Add your seeds or plants. Pull aside mulch and plant your nursery starts or seeds. Go ahead and plant right in this new or established bed ? no tilling or turning over of the soil. Earthworms and other living creatures that live in the soil will do the work for you. The grass and weeds that were smothered will decompose along with the newspaper or cardboard and add more nutrients and organic material. Every year, just add another layer of organic material such as shredded leaves in the fall, and/or compost and some more mulch on top and that is all you need to do from year to year.