Preparing New Beds
by: Sheila Sim (The Garden Coach)
August / September is a great time to prepare a new bed or expand an existing bed but this can be done anytime. I use this simple and natural approach:
Lay Out the Bed: Layout the new bed using a hose or old yellow electrical cord until you have the right shape. Take your time with this and try all kinds of shapes - it’s often a shape that you hadn’t anticipated that will appeal to you most. Go for balance in the size and shape so that the bed fits its surroundings. If anything, I find there’s a tendency to make a bed too small so don’t shy away from something that will really make a statement.
Edge: Edge around the shape with a flat spade to create a good 3″ deep trench and define the bed’s new border. Make this wide enough that you’ll be able to add soil and still have a trench that’s 3″ deep and about 2″ wide. This will give you a good division between the lawn and the garden bed.
Layer Newspaper: Layer 10-12 sheets of newspaper over the whole thing. If it will be some time before you can get around to putting new soil on top, anchor the newspapers with 3″ spikes to keep them from blowing away. Water the newspaper well and make sure it’s good and wet before adding the soil. If you’re doing this in the fall you can wait to add the soil until spring and instead top up the newspaper with all your mulched leaves.
Add Soil: When you’re ready to add soil, water the newspaper thoroughly first. Then top it with at least 3″ of a good triple mix (e.g. black earth, peat moss, compost). The more soil you can put on the better. I try to get about 6-8″ if possible.
Over time the newspaper will break down (adding carbon to the soil) and the grass will die (adding nitrogen). You can dig holes for planting within just a few weeks - any newspaper or grass you dig up that has not broken down yet can just be added to the compost. Be sure to give any plants a good watering with transplanter and at least 6 weeks to reestablish their roots before freeze up.
This approach builds on the grass that’s currently there. If you can use the grass elsewhere you can dig up sections very carefully getting as much of the root as possible, prepare the new location by adding some good soil and sprinkling it with bonemeal. Then place the new grass into place and firm down well. Water well with transplanter and watch that it doesn’t dry out.