How to do I keep pine bark mulch in the bed?

18 years ago

I recently had new beds installed in the front of my house. Landscape fabric was put down with shredded pine bark on top. I can't keep it in the bed. Every time it rains it washes into the grass. Do I need to put edging around the beds? Any suggestions????

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DebbieInMiami

17 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

This was posted on the Florida board. She uses cardboard, I think that is a really great idea.
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We do not rototill anything. Many of the areas had various grasses and weeds growing in them. No roundup, no anything. Just lay the large sheets of cardboard on top, overlap the edges by about 6 inches, just like puzzle pieces, and then cover with large amounts of organic material. You don't put dirt on top. We've found wood chips to be an ideal first layer because they are heavier, but anything goes. All the materials we obtained were free. We use the cardboard we got from the dumpster at the appliance store where we purchased our appliances. They have very large boxes, like refrigerator, washer/dryer, etc. and are happy to part with them. Sometimes they help me load them. We transported them home in my van. The wood chips came from tree companies that have chopped up trees/leaves. You should tell them you don't want any mulch/chips from nuisance trees (brazilian pepper, palms, camphor, carrotwood). Oak and pine are the best. You're lucky if you can get cedar (smells so good and deters pests). They usually deliver by the truckload, so you need to be prepared for that. Then we carted the chips by wheelbarrow to the cardboard which had been placed over the grass. We applied a very thick layer (several inches). After that base layer we took our time layering other stuff as we obtained it. After the oak trees shed (around Feb, March and up until about a couple of weeks ago), we collected many bags full of leaves that our neighbors placed by the road for recycling collection and brought them home as we found them. We placed them over the wood chips. Pine needles are a great find because they take so much longer to degrade. Grass clippings, manure, used coffee grounds, etc. We just pile stuff in different areas as we obtain it. You get it all for free. I had no luck advertising in freecycle, but maybe your area would be different.
The grass underneath takes about two weeks to weaken/soften. You don't have to wait till then, but it may be easier, because the ground underneath will be easier to dig holes as the earthworms move in and aerate the area and soften it up. And they will! You just dig a hole through the cardboard (easy with a shovel), and plant your plant. No rototilling, no waiting. Many of these beds still have discernable cardboard there when we dig. The moisture and fertilizer get through just fine. When we dig a few months later to plant some more, we are always surprised at how moist the soil is, and how many earthworms we now find that were not there before. The soil holds more water because of their tunneling.

We do water our plants as usual. Some of our areas have irrigation and we set it as usual. Others don't and I hand water when needed. I water the rose bed about every 5 days, for example, but these roses are fairly drought tolerant. I haven't tried any less, but maybe less would be enough. They were just planted in March.

Try one bed this year and see what you think. I bet next year you will decide to do more. You will start looking around for what you can layer on top every time you drive down the street. By the way, people are very happy to give you their leaves, grass clippings, etc. I like the natural look the beds take on. This year we have more birds and birds' nests than we've ever had. Birds love to forage around in the leaves and stuff to get bugs, worms, etc. They help us with the pest control, and leave their poop for fertilizer. All this, and you save money, as you help build your soil and keep lots of stuff out of the landfills.

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