Sheet mulching is a topic that has developed (ahem…) layers upon layers of complication that are appropriate if you are building a vegetable or perennial edible garden from which you intend to harvest. These complications, however, are wholly unnecessary when preparing a bed or yard for a native garden.
There are four basic steps:
1) Put down a decomposable barrier layer of cardboard or newspaper
2) Put shredded bark mulch or woodchips on top
3) …patiently wait for barrier layer to kill vegetation below…
4) Gently move mulch aside, plant into the soil, gently move mulch back
That’s it.
Do not add compost. Do not add fertilizers. Do not remove the barrier layer. Do not get rid of the woodchips.
When it’s time for planting, with a stiff rake, create a line in the woodchips down to the decomposing or already decomposed barrier layer, exposing the soil surface. Now you can plant a row of natives directly into the soil, return the woodchips to cover the soil again and move on to the next row. Depending on how far you can reach, you could do three or four rows at a time.
There are two important other considerations for creating a successful sheet mulch bed.
The first is that you still need to have an established border or edge around the bed. Sheet mulching creates INCREDIBLE conditions for spreading plants such as lawn grasses, quack grass and creeping Charlie. Creating a cut edge is a perfect way to establish a border.
The second is that, as always, you want to select native species that are appropriate for your soil, sun and moisture. Sheet mulching is a one-time addition of organic material in the form of the barrier and mulch. We do not want to create a situation in which we need to regularly add mulch to keep our plants alive. The whole point of gardening with natives is to put back the pieces that were once in place. The earth mulches in autumn leaves, fallen trees, poop and dead animals. We are mulching only to create the conditions for a successful establishment of plants that will do well in our soil, not to help plants that need cooler or more moist conditions!
