One homeowner made a dramatic change to her front yard by killing some of her grass and replacing it with an incredible bed full of flowers and fruit, which she shared in a recent TikTok video.
TikToker The Ever Hopeful Gardener (@theeverhopefulgardener) created a progress video showing the incredible difference that a mere two months made in her yard. “Goodbye grass, hello garden bed,” she says in the video.
@theeverhopefulgardener From water guzzling grass to a gorgeous flower and fruit bed. Sheet mulching is my favorite way to create a new garden bed on top of grass. Save your cardboard boxes and use them to smother out the grass. A thick layer of cardboard is best and spraying it with a hose will keep the cardboard from shifting around or flying away. I used wood chips from a recent Chip Drop, and when I wanted to plant in the bed, I either dug through the cardboard for an established plant or I placed a 3-4 inch layer of @soil3official on top of the wood chips and scattered seeds. (I did this compost on top method for all the zinnias, celosia and cosmos you see) The partially self-pollinating avocado tree and pomegranate tree are from @FastGrowingTrees Majority of the seeds sown in this bed are from Pinetree Garden Seeds (code EVERHOPEFUL15 for 15% off your entire order or code HOPEFULBEES20 for 20% off all their pollinator favorite seeds) I am unhappy with the plastic edging from Lowes so I have some new metal edging coming to replace it. I’m trying out @edgeright steel edging that I have seen my friend Brad use. #sheetmulch #sheetmulching #zone8a #gardentok #newgardenbed #howtomakeanewgardenbed #flowers ♬ Anything is Possible – Elevate Audio
To create the bed, The Ever Hopeful Gardener used the sheet mulch method, in which she laid down a flat layer of cardboard, got it wet to help keep it in place, then added mulch on top. This kills the grass underneath and allows it to naturally decompose into fertilizer, along with the cardboard and the underlayer of wood chips.
The result is lots of nutrients for whatever plants you place in the bed, plus a thick layer of material on top that helps suppress weeds.
“It looks so great,” she says in the video. “The sheet mulch has worked fantastic.”
This approach has several benefits.
Mitsubishi Electric’s efficient heating and cooling HVAC solutions can help you stay comfortable no matter the weather or region. You can even regulate temperatures in each room with individually controlled all-electric heat pump systems.
With an energy-efficient, all-climate system from Mitsubishi, you can reduce the amount of energy needed to heat and cool your home, receive up to $2,000 in tax credits, and get peace of mind knowing you’re choosing rigorously tested, high-quality products.
Reducing your lawn area is always a good move, because a grass lawn is one of the most high-maintenance, high-water options for your yard, and it gives nothing back to the environment. You’ll spend tons of money and time watering, mowing, fertilizing, weeding, and performing pest control.
By contrast, alternatives like native plants, clover, buffalo grass, and even flowers and vegetable gardens are easier to care for, better for the environment, more likely to attract pollinators, and in the latter cases, they produce something delicious or beautiful for you to enjoy. Even if you only partially rewild your yard, you’ll still enjoy the benefits.
In the video description, the creator went into detail about her process to help any other gardeners who wanted to follow in her footsteps.
“Save your cardboard boxes and use them to smother out the grass,” she explained. “A thick layer of cardboard is best and spraying it with a hose will keep the cardboard from shifting around or flying away. I used wood chips from a recent Chip Drop, and when I wanted to plant in the bed, I either dug through the cardboard for an established plant or I placed a 3-4 inch layer of @soil3official on top of the wood chips and scattered seeds.”
TCD Picks » Upway Spotlight
💡Upway makes it easy to find discounts of up to 60% on premium e-bike brands
Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don’t miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Comments are closed.