I want to transform most of my backyard into a mulch bed with native plants/small trees/shrubs, but I'm feeling overwhelmed. Would sheet mulching be my best bet here? Should I dig a few inches down so the mulch isn't sitting directly against the fence? Any tips on tackling a project like this by yourself?
Any and all suggestions welcome. Thanks!
by Treydy
13 Comments
Zone 8b. The first image is my current backyard, and the second image is an approximation of the area I want to mulch.
sheet mulch w clean cardboard and mulch. just keep the mulch away from the fence boards
trace out your curves and what not to create a nice flow, consider how irrigation and sprinklers may hit w the curves in the lawn. have fun!
When i converted half of my front yard (also in western WA) about 750 square foot, I used a sod cutter. The area you want to do will take FOREVER if you do it by hand.
I cut and removed the sod, planted the plants, laid down a drip irrigation system, then munched. That was 5 years ago and everything is still going great. The more you fill it in, the less mulch you’ll have to add in future years. I have my irrigation just hooked up to my outdoor faucet on a timer. Not having to remember to water myself has been a life saver. you might want to put little stakes in the geound to mark your irrigation if you do decide to bury it so you don’t accidentally put a shovel theough it in the future.
If cost is an issue for plants, I’d say get the big things this year, then down the road add in more small things. Also see if your neighborhood has some sort of plant exchange community. A lot of people will post things for free when they thin out their gardens in the spring.
I would post this on r/nativeplantgardening. They’re super helpful and usually go nuts with posts like these
Cardboard and a thick layer of mulch will take care of 95% of that grass, especially with the dry season coming up on the west coast. I would make a nice little path leading to your shed too 🙂
If you live within driving distance of Gig Harbor there is an amazing native plant nursery. The employees will be psyched to help you out with ideas too. My sister-in-law killed the lawn of her childhood home and it’s all native plants and mosses now. It looks amazing
I’ve been converting lawn to garden beds for 5 years (very big area). I highly recommend cardboard, 3″ of mulch. Divide it up, and do a section that feels “do able.” Break it down into small portions. I tend to do 4 yards of mulch at a time. I then may do more a month later, or I may decide I am done for the year. I am hoping to do my last sheet mulching EVER this year. I’ve got 2 more yards in the drive right now, and I will probably need another 8 or so. But I am hopeful I am near the end!
Do yourself a massive favor and rent a sod cutter. Then just flip the sod over so it’s dirt side up, sheet mulch with cardboard and bark.
You can also just plant up sections and sheet mulch over to break this into more manageable chunks.
I think however you choose to go about it will end up lovely. You have a gorgeous raw space here to turn into something really beautiful and whether you sheet mulch or spread native seeds first, you’re in for a lot of fun, sweaty work over many seasons. It’s going to be glorious and rewarding and exhausting. Congrats! Keep us updated!
Start with big shrubs year 1. Then big perennials year 2 Then groundcover perennials year 3. Get all the same leaving substantial gaps. Those gaps will have unique plants that pop. If you have $ you can do this in 1 year lol
I have converted about 500 sq feet of lawn to garden over the past few years using mainly sheet mulching and some hand digging. If you want to start now and plant in the fall, I would solarize.
If you don’t want plastic sheets on your lawn, I would hire a sod cutter.
Sheet mulching works well but it is a lot of work hauling in cardboard and mulch and then waiting and waiting. It worked well for me because it allowed me to improve the soil quality. But if your goal is to be looking at a more interesting garden next May, I would solarize and spend the summer planning plantings in October.
Also, if you are planning to start anything from seed, note that many seeds need to stratify. I recommend planting seeds in milk jugs or pots outdoors so you know where they are and whether they have germinated.
Check out Northwest Meadowscapes for seeds!
https://northwestmeadowscapes.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoqV-dFZ7bcoHkve86nKFI92GextPn2FuQnjDNCs_6GzgGw_71QX
I think the most important thing you can do at the moment is to realize this doesn’t have to be done in one shot. I would do it piece by piece over the years. If you do a small section you will learn what works/doesn’t work, what you like/don’t like, etc. biting a small piece off of the big project is much easier than constantly looking at the yard wanting to take action but being daunted by the scale of the work/transformation.