If you want to make caring for your garden easier while also getting rid of excess rubbish in your home, this gardening tip is for you. If you have leftover cardboard from delivieries, takeaways or moving house, putting them in your garden before summer will mean better soil and less weeding when the weather gets warmer, according to one expert.
According to horticulture extension specialist Aaron Steil, laying cardboard boxes over the soil will stop light from reaching weeds so they can’t break through the soil. If you don’t like the look of cardboard on your plant beds, try layering mulch over them to cover the paper but be aware this will make the cardboard break down faster. However, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
As the cardboard breaks down it will add carbon to the soil and create a rich mulch that’s great for plants.
If you want to create a new garden from scratch, cardboard can be a great help too. The expert told the Martha Stewart wesbite: “Cardboard is great for killing existing vegetation to create a garden bed.”
To use this trick, lay down a layer of cardboard where you want your garden to be, then water it, layer it with compost and water it again. Soaking the cardboard first will help it break down better, making for a richer soil composition for your new garden.
You can also add cardboard to your compost to make it richer in carbon. Just shred your excess cardboard and sprinkle it through your compost – but use a light touch.
Too much will make it too carbon rich, Make sure to shred it small and avoid any staples or treated paper.
Make sure that if you’re putting cardboard in your garden you avoid treated paper – anything waxed or glossy can leach chemicals into the soil that aren’t good for plants. It’s best to stick to the basics on this one.