Emily Chan
If you’re a gardening beginner, all the preparation that must be done before you can sow your seeds can feel overwhelming. And it’s probably got you wondering if it really has to be this difficult.
Have you been searching for an easier way to cultivate your garden? Maybe one that requires less weeding, watering, and back-breaking work? Does such a thing even exist? Because it sounds too good to be true.
Fortunately, there is a simple trick you can perform to ease the tedium of readying your garden beds for planting. In a video on TikTok, Brandon Gentry (@brandontgentry) illustrates a no-dig gardening hack that’s quick, cheap, and virtually effortless.
An hour of doing what he did can save you from an entire season of digging out weeds. All you need to do is reach for your recycling bin for sheets of cardboard and place them in the area where you plan to establish your garden.
The cardboard will smother the grass and weeds, effectively killing them off and preventing future growth. This gives your plants the best start so they won’t have to compete with weeds for nutrients.
Eventually, the cardboard will decompose, making this gardening method environmentally friendly and helping you create nutrient-rich soil that will sustain root growth.
Cut the cardboard so that it aligns with your gardening plot. Make sure to overlap the edges of the cardboard to eliminate any spaces for weeds and grass to thrive.
Once you have arranged the cardboard, water it with a garden hose and get it pretty soaked. The cardboard has to get super moist in order for it to break down into the earth properly.
Then, pour bags of potting soil over the wet cardboard. Use your hands or a gardening tool to spread the soil into an even layer. Finally, add mulch on top of the potting soil, and you’re all set to start planting.
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