How to Start a Garden Bed

The traditional approach to starting a garden bed involves digging up the existing lawn or ground cover — hard work that also disturbs the soil ecosystem below. A simpler approach, often called sheet mulching or the lasagna method, builds on top of what's there and lets natural processes do most of the work.

The no-dig method creates better soil over time, requires less physical effort, and produces excellent results for most garden beds.

Before starting any bed, spend time observing the spot you're considering. Note how much direct sunlight it receives throughout the day — this will determine what you can grow there. A vegetable garden needs at least six hours of direct sun. Most flowering perennials need four to six hours. Shade gardens can work with less.

Also consider access to water, proximity to structures, and any underground utilities before you begin.

Start by mowing or cutting back any existing vegetation as low as possible. Lay down a thick layer of cardboard directly on top — overlapping the edges to prevent weeds from coming through the gaps. Wet the cardboard thoroughly.

On top of the cardboard, add four to six inches of compost, aged wood chips, or a combination of both. This is your planting medium. Over the course of the season, the cardboard breaks down, the worms come up, and the underlying soil improves naturally.

In the first season, the bed works well for transplants (starts) rather than direct seeding, since the compost layer provides a good medium and the roots can begin working down through the cardboard. After the first season, as the cardboard fully breaks down, the bed becomes suitable for direct sowing as well.

Add compost to the surface of the bed each season — this is called top-dressing and it continually improves the soil without digging. Avoid stepping in the bed, which compacts the soil and undoes the open, airy structure that plant roots need. Paths between beds or stepping stones help with this.