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Create new bed in lawn

AliMcGAliMcG Posts: 24
in Problem solving
I want to create some interest in the garden and hoped to put in a new bed for coastal plants & grasses. Having already tackled a bed along one side of the garden 2 years ago involving hire of man/digger, several days, issue of where to dump the turfs etc, hours sifting through to remove roots & high cost, I was reluctant to try that again. Can anyone advise on the effectiveness of a smothering option i.e layers of cardboard topped with fresh soil to create a raised bed? Thanks



Posts

  • gardenman91gardenman91 Posts: 429
    Hi Ali, if you wanted you could take a shovel and strip the turf and then stack it upside down out of the way. After a while (a year I think?) you’ll end up with lovely loam and most of the grass will have decomposed. 

    I guess another option could be to just smother the area with cardboard as you said, but even after the grass has died off you’d still need to dig over the soil and prepare it for planting.
  • AliMcGAliMcG Posts: 24
    If I put about 20cm or so of new good soil on top of the cardboard and build a surround could I not just use the bed straight away? 
  • K67K67 Posts: 2,506
    Sorry no, there aren't any short cuts. If you want your planting to succeed you need to prepare the bed properly. To plant out a 2 litre pot you need to dig an area at least twice the width and slightly deeper than the pot and break up the ground a bit under the pot, you can stick a fork in and wiggle it about.
    If you want to test that water drains away if you have clay soil, empty a watering can of water into the hole and come back an hour or so later, if it's still full of water you will have to do a bit more digging!
    You have a really large garden so plenty of space to stack the turf somewhere.
    Make a generous sized bed or it will just look lost.
  • AliMcGAliMcG Posts: 24
    You're right - I just need to be patient and accept the long haul. I have looked into 'no dig/lasagne' gardening, but I think time and expense both options would be the same. I was considering 3 sqm sized bed when the time comes - thanks 
  • K67K67 Posts: 2,506
    Good thinking!
    The bed still doesn't sound big enough but a good size to start with that you could enlarge later.
    Try laying out a hose pipe or marking out with flour or sand various shapes and go inside to look before you start to do anything.
    Often this type of planting looks good in drifts so think curves rather than straight edges.
    Lots on inspiration online.
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