I did all this 3 years ago....in the weedy front beds. Wow! Looked so much better...and only now I am needing to refresh the cardboard/mulching, etc. This time I will make deeper cardboard/mulching. We get cardboard boxes at nearby liquor store and Dollar stores. That is FREE!!!! We get mulch at nearby Walmart! We do utilize Fall leaves during the Fall. Glad for this marvelous option! Ahna Atlanta/ga
Great ideas, remember to mention soaking the cardboard really well. I'd also suggest you SHOW the way it looks once you place 9-12" of mulch in. That could be awkward around pavers, driveways, existing plants, etc.
Great video! You have such a helpful channel for newbie Flordia gardeners. I come from rural Virginia and I always thought I grew up in the "south" 🤣🤣🤣 Flordia kicked my gardening butt (even with 30yrs experience!)🙃
Great video. Thank you for stressing the importance of adequate depth of mulch. Sadly not all counties in FL have good mulch resources. BTW, you look fantastic for being post partum. I hope all is well with your family.❤
I'm scrapping off the lawn in my Port Charlotte backyaed and piling it into a berm across the back of yard. I'm getting a mounded veggie garden going in it's place. I am also planting fruit trees and bee-friendly perennials. Anyway, cucumbers took off right away in the new garden but tomatoes are struggling. They don't seem to be growing roots. I dug up the tomato patch and I am digging in mulched leaves to loosen up the sand and encourage mycorrhizal fungi.
Thank you for this video. We have a garden bed that is bordered by grass. It is so so hard to keep the grass out!!! We have done some sheet mulching but as you pointed out it is hard to get the right amount of mulch to keep it up!
If its thick enough to start and done right, you only need to replenish once or twice a year at most. that can make it easier for planning purposes to get larger quantities of mulch.
We are new to the Tampa area and also new to gardening so your videos have been so so helpful. I used this method and I'm not ready to start planting in beds, however I'm concerned about the heavy rain and my plant babies? What do you recommend to protect plants and beds from the heavy rains right now? Thank you so much!
I'm so happy I found you. Finally relavent content i can use here in Nokomis FL zone 10A.... Not always easy to garden here organically. Do you have any vids on planting citrus trees? You're awesome and so helpful!
Love your dedication toward what we love. I live in SW Miami Dade & it’s been a real challenge getting the hang of what works well in my yard as well as where in the yard. I’m curious enough if you have any feedback in how well it would work if I sheet mulch between concrete slab & the wood fence with grass on the other side that is common area of the neighborhood. Should I consider building a wood barrier against the fence with some depth enough to block the grass rhizome? Thanks again for all you do🙏🏽👌🏽
Yes I would highly reconmend having a barrier that goes several inches below the soil line of the neighbors grass so there is no intrusion. If you dont you will constantly have to maintain that edge. Still better than a whole lawn but maintenance none the less.
Love this video, thank you. Can I buy any chips or mulch that can be trusted from a store? I have sheet mulched part of my yard but have been unable to get any more chips. My sheet mulch project from before is starting to wear thin too.
Hi Elise; Considering moving to FL (having trouble leaving my gardens here in Maine!) and wondered if you grow pie pumpkins in your area? I looked a little at the cooperative extension site but hands on tips and growing experiences would help. Thank you for all you do!
Depends on a lot of factors. Whether you added nitrogen or not, the amount of rain you get, foot traffic, and then what you are trying to plant in it (the plants nutrient needs). In most cases it will be a year or more for most plants to be happy in it.
Been trying to follow your advice on amending my soil. Added mulch as you did. Since my soil is not ready yet. I’m doing some garden beds and purchased soil mix bulk. Now ready to add worm casting. My question is how much do you add to soil? Also, should I plant and then add or add first? Love your videos 😊
The more the better but its not cheap so I would decide on your budget and go from there. Add everything first and mix it up real good this first time. Plant your plants or seeds. Then as you amend the soil in future seasons just add them on top without working them in to maintain your soil ecosystem.
I am wanting to have a tapestry or No-Mow lawn here in Eastern North Carolina, so finding this video is very encouraging. My question is, how long will it take before I can plant the Mini Clover, Creeping Thyme, Irish Moss, and other ground covers after sheet mulching, which I hope to do this fall?
Thanks for sharing this informative video, I live in Pasco county and we made my small garden bed in the backyard with lots and lots of mulch, we had it delivered from our local city that has free mulch, didn't know to add the cardboard first, but we added about 10 to 12 inches of mulch, now fast forward 6 months it is thriving with some grass poking up, not much. Next time I will be adding the newspaper or cardboard, have a great day :)
Keeping it a few feet from the home around the perimeter is usually more than enough. Termites are part of life in Florida and having/not having mulch wont change that.
@@TheUrbanHarvest perfect. Ty! I keep hearing that it’s not recommended. I asked the landscaper who cut down my trees to leave me the mulch but he hauled it away. Wouldn’t do it???!!
Any great tips to prevent something they call "Torpedo grass" from coming back into the mulch? We've tried barriers, sprays and it still finds a way back in
ugh that stuff is the pits. you already have sheet mulch down? if not try tilling before hand, letting it rest two weeks with water and then tilling it again. Then doing the process outlined here.
Cannot recommend enough this method, but it has drawbacks. Here where I am in Melbourne, Australia, the mulch breaks down stupidly fast. The foot of mulch we put in winter (July) is nearly all gone, less than 2 inches left. Its the price we pay for a 12 month growing period. Other issue is couch grass we have here, no amount of mulch will stop it. Best solution I have is just more cardboard and mulch. Lucky our local soil suppliers here have cheap tree mulch for sale.
How should I handle my dogs pooping on ground? Should I pick up or let dissolve? Also, do I remove the grass first before I put down the cardboard and mulch?
It takes awhile to dissolve and I’m in a small space so I pick it up so we don’t step in it. Technically dog poo is not supposed to go in compost or anything. Really up to your specific scenario.
yes love moringa, have two trees! perennial or annual? nothing is pest proof but planting things that are well suited to our area allow the plant to fend them off better than if we try to push the limits.
Our 12 inches of sheet mulch have broken down over the past 2 years and have not refreshed it. Needless to say my weeds are horrendous. I spend a good part of my morning weeding everyday.😫
@@TheUrbanHarvest well I believe I highly neglected my garden with all the rain and standing water around the raised garden but I would say we went 1 1/2 years with minimal weeds. It slowly got worse through June and from June until now wammo! It’s thick💔. One cannot neglect their garden! Lol I’m paying dearly.
i started doing this! i use chip drop and i have a lot to cover, i wonder, is it just 1 year i need before using the soil? did you took a soil test before using it? i have never done it. im growing in pots at the moment thanks for the video :)
never done a soil analysis on it just my compost but that's a fun idea! yes especially if its all or heavy carbon it will suck up any nutrients until its fully broken down.
Year 3 now. Doing good, no signs of rust. But I did upgrade to deeper beds and donated the ones in this video to a family starting up their garden. The old beds were from nothern tools. The new deeper metal beds are from Hopkins Hidden Homestead. Use code "urbanharvest" for 5% off your whole order. www.hopkinshomesteadstore.com/
Yes and no. They are present in our environment no matter what just like a lot of other garden pests. Here is what UF has to stay... blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/pinellasco/2009/05/26/termites-and-mulch/
Wish it worked on GA crabgrass😩🤬. I layer layers of cardboard then weed barrier fabric then thick rubber mulch that’s not supposed to allow grass/weed growth on it-but I pull crab grass that grown right thru it all🤬Crabgrass could probably grow right thru sheet metal
@@nickotasla3091 I like to go to the passagrille dog beach. Less known and easy parking but dog beaches arent for everyone. The other I like is treasure island, big wide beaches and big public parking lots.
![VENEZUELA vs. ARGENTINA [1-1] | RESUMEN | ELIMINATORIAS SUDAMERICANAS | FECHA 9](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/SJfoPdeOPCQ/mqdefault.jpg)
YAY....CHIP DROP delivered to me today. Ordered 3 weeks ago. Thanks for the great recommendation!
Fantastic!
I did all this 3 years ago....in the weedy front beds. Wow! Looked so much better...and only now I am needing to refresh the cardboard/mulching, etc. This time I will make deeper cardboard/mulching. We get cardboard boxes at nearby liquor store and Dollar stores. That is FREE!!!! We get mulch at nearby Walmart! We do utilize Fall leaves during the Fall. Glad for this marvelous option! Ahna Atlanta/ga
Glad to hear it has worked for you as well! Great idea getting the free boxes from a nearby store.
Great ideas, remember to mention soaking the cardboard really well. I'd also suggest you SHOW the way it looks once you place 9-12" of mulch in. That could be awkward around pavers, driveways, existing plants, etc.
Great suggestions!
Great video! You have such a helpful channel for newbie Flordia gardeners. I come from rural Virginia and I always thought I grew up in the "south" 🤣🤣🤣 Flordia kicked my gardening butt (even with 30yrs experience!)🙃
lol theres the south and then the tropics. welcome to florida!
Great video. Thank you for stressing the importance of adequate depth of mulch. Sadly not all counties in FL have good mulch resources. BTW, you look fantastic for being post partum. I hope all is well with your family.❤
doing great thank you! it can be trickier especially in more rural areas. try reaching out directly to tree companies in your area as well.
I'm scrapping off the lawn in my Port Charlotte backyaed and piling it into a berm across the back of yard. I'm getting a mounded veggie garden going in it's place. I am also planting fruit trees and bee-friendly perennials. Anyway, cucumbers took off right away in the new garden but tomatoes are struggling. They don't seem to be growing roots. I dug up the tomato patch and I am digging in mulched leaves to loosen up the sand and encourage mycorrhizal fungi.
Tomatoes like rich soil. If it isnt amended that might help.
Thank you for this video. We have a garden bed that is bordered by grass. It is so so hard to keep the grass out!!! We have done some sheet mulching but as you pointed out it is hard to get the right amount of mulch to keep it up!
If its thick enough to start and done right, you only need to replenish once or twice a year at most. that can make it easier for planning purposes to get larger quantities of mulch.
👍Perfect 👍👍👍👍and your teachings are awesome as well.
We are new to the Tampa area and also new to gardening so your videos have been so so helpful. I used this method and I'm not ready to start planting in beds, however I'm concerned about the heavy rain and my plant babies? What do you recommend to protect plants and beds from the heavy rains right now? Thank you so much!
mulch. it will protect the soil and nutrients from getting washed out.
I'm so happy I found you. Finally relavent content i can use here in Nokomis FL zone 10A.... Not always easy to garden here organically. Do you have any vids on planting citrus trees? You're awesome and so helpful!
Glad it was helpful! No I dont as of now, sorry! I make notes of requests though and try to get you all the content you need so keep an eye out.
Waiting for my chip drop!! Thanks for all the tips!
You are so welcome!
Great video! Wondering what you do with mulch so deep against a sidewalk?
i kind of taper at the edge to meet the sidewalk. and it settles quickly.
Love your dedication toward what we love. I live in SW Miami Dade & it’s been a real challenge getting the hang of what works well in my yard as well as where in the yard. I’m curious enough if you have any feedback in how well it would work if I sheet mulch between concrete slab & the wood fence with grass on the other side that is common area of the neighborhood. Should I consider building a wood barrier against the fence with some depth enough to block the grass rhizome? Thanks again for all you do🙏🏽👌🏽
Yes I would highly reconmend having a barrier that goes several inches below the soil line of the neighbors grass so there is no intrusion. If you dont you will constantly have to maintain that edge. Still better than a whole lawn but maintenance none the less.
Love this video, thank you. Can I buy any chips or mulch that can be trusted from a store? I have sheet mulched part of my yard but have been unable to get any more chips. My sheet mulch project from before is starting to wear thin too.
Hi Elise; Considering moving to FL (having trouble leaving my gardens here in Maine!) and wondered if you grow pie pumpkins in your area? I looked a little at the cooperative extension site but hands on tips and growing experiences would help. Thank you for all you do!
Oh boy! It will be a big change in soil and climate. I would suggest seminole pumpkins.
She's right about chip drop i applied over 2 years ago and still haven't gotten anything
Oh wow! Such a great resource but unfortunately definitely patchy in their services areas offered.
Thank you so much for your video! Love it
Glad you liked it! Thanks for watching :)
Informative video. Thank you! How soon can you start planting vegetables in the mulch? Thx!
Depends on a lot of factors. Whether you added nitrogen or not, the amount of rain you get, foot traffic, and then what you are trying to plant in it (the plants nutrient needs). In most cases it will be a year or more for most plants to be happy in it.
Thank you for the great information !
sure thing
Muy educativo, excelente video. 🌿
Gracias!
Been trying to follow your advice on amending my soil. Added mulch as you did. Since my soil is not ready yet. I’m doing some garden beds and purchased soil mix bulk. Now ready to add worm casting. My question is how much do you add to soil? Also, should I plant and then add or add first? Love your videos 😊
The more the better but its not cheap so I would decide on your budget and go from there. Add everything first and mix it up real good this first time. Plant your plants or seeds. Then as you amend the soil in future seasons just add them on top without working them in to maintain your soil ecosystem.
I am wanting to have a tapestry or No-Mow lawn here in Eastern North Carolina, so finding this video is very encouraging. My question is, how long will it take before I can plant the Mini Clover, Creeping Thyme, Irish Moss, and other ground covers after sheet mulching, which I hope to do this fall?
Thanks for sharing this informative video, I live in Pasco county and we made my small garden bed in the backyard with lots and lots of mulch, we had it delivered from our local city that has free mulch, didn't know to add the cardboard first, but we added about 10 to 12 inches of mulch, now fast forward 6 months it is thriving with some grass poking up, not much. Next time I will be adding the newspaper or cardboard, have a great day :)
stay on top of the grass creeping in or it will take back over!
Yes I will, thank you!@@TheUrbanHarvest
Be careful about getting woodchips that have palm mixed in. For months now I have been removing palm seedlings growing out of my mulch .
We struggle with this too but if you pull them when it's small it's not that much of a hassle. Difficult to get palm-free mulch here in Florida
If you use Chipdrop, you can specify for no palm material, or you want/don’t want logs. Us tree guys do our best to respect that.
Great video, thanks!
you bet
Just gotta say, I love the hat! Sooooo cute! :)
thanks : )
Nice garden
thanks!
Love your garden! It lloks so neat! I would like to kill grass. What about neighbors who are concerned about termites bc of mulch?
Keeping it a few feet from the home around the perimeter is usually more than enough. Termites are part of life in Florida and having/not having mulch wont change that.
@@TheUrbanHarvest perfect. Ty! I keep hearing that it’s not recommended. I asked the landscaper who cut down my trees to leave me the mulch but he hauled it away. Wouldn’t do it???!!
Any great tips to prevent something they call "Torpedo grass" from coming back into the mulch? We've tried barriers, sprays and it still finds a way back in
ugh that stuff is the pits. you already have sheet mulch down? if not try tilling before hand, letting it rest two weeks with water and then tilling it again. Then doing the process outlined here.
This was so helpful. Thanks so much. I will be ordering seeds very soon, probably in a week.
glad it was helpful!
Thank you for this video. How do you avoid from snake infestation in your chip drop?
I don't do anything specific to avoid snakes, they are a part of the ecosystem and occasionally will come around.
@@TheUrbanHarvest thank you for replying.
Cannot recommend enough this method, but it has drawbacks. Here where I am in Melbourne, Australia, the mulch breaks down stupidly fast. The foot of mulch we put in winter (July) is nearly all gone, less than 2 inches left. Its the price we pay for a 12 month growing period. Other issue is couch grass we have here, no amount of mulch will stop it. Best solution I have is just more cardboard and mulch.
Lucky our local soil suppliers here have cheap tree mulch for sale.
Yes I think we call it torpedo grass here. That stuff is tenacious at best.
How should I handle my dogs pooping on ground? Should I pick up or let dissolve? Also, do I remove the grass first before I put down the cardboard and mulch?
It takes awhile to dissolve and I’m in a small space so I pick it up so we don’t step in it. Technically dog poo is not supposed to go in compost or anything. Really up to your specific scenario.
wow
Moringa likes it there .I see in back ground . Do you have list for Florida crops that are bug resistance .
yes love moringa, have two trees! perennial or annual? nothing is pest proof but planting things that are well suited to our area allow the plant to fend them off better than if we try to push the limits.
My moringa blew over in a storm. I left laying on the ground for 2 weeks and decided to put back in and it grew.
@@kevenskilatonyius2178 yep they are amazingly resilient!
Our 12 inches of sheet mulch have broken down over the past 2 years and have not refreshed it. Needless to say my weeds are horrendous. I spend a good part of my morning weeding everyday.😫
oh no! how quickly did it creep back in on you? Thats the pits!
@@TheUrbanHarvest well I believe I highly neglected my garden with all the rain and standing water around the raised garden but I would say we went 1 1/2 years with minimal weeds. It slowly got worse through June and from June until now wammo! It’s thick💔. One cannot neglect their garden! Lol I’m paying dearly.
Did you cardboard under the mulch?
We are putting in a new large vegetable garden in our suburban backyard.....do I put the raised beds directly on top of the sheet mulch?
yep! sheet mulch then beds!
Thank you😊
i started doing this! i use chip drop and i have a lot to cover, i wonder, is it just 1 year i need before using the soil? did you took a soil test before using it? i have never done it. im growing in pots at the moment thanks for the video :)
never done a soil analysis on it just my compost but that's a fun idea! yes especially if its all or heavy carbon it will suck up any nutrients until its fully broken down.
@@TheUrbanHarvest i see tyyyy
Can I ask how your metal garden beds held up?
Year 3 now. Doing good, no signs of rust. But I did upgrade to deeper beds and donated the ones in this video to a family starting up their garden. The old beds were from nothern tools. The new deeper metal beds are from Hopkins Hidden Homestead. Use code "urbanharvest" for 5% off your whole order. www.hopkinshomesteadstore.com/
Are termites a problem in wood chip drop?
Yes and no. They are present in our environment no matter what just like a lot of other garden pests. Here is what UF has to stay... blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/pinellasco/2009/05/26/termites-and-mulch/
Wish it worked on GA crabgrass😩🤬. I layer layers of cardboard then weed barrier fabric then thick rubber mulch that’s not supposed to allow grass/weed growth on it-but I pull crab grass that grown right thru it all🤬Crabgrass could probably grow right thru sheet metal
haha its tenacious for sure!
Yes, add paper, not plastic. Or you will end up with moldy stinky ground. 👍
Agreed!
Grow food. Not lawns
👍Perfect 👍👍👍👍and your teachings are awesome as well.
Glad you like them!
@@TheUrbanHarvest Today is a Good day. Finally got my solar up and running👍. You guys are close to Tampa?
@@nickotasla3091 Nice! Yes over the bridge in St. Pete
@@TheUrbanHarvest I think we are going to that beach tomorrow. Do you recommend a spot with plenty of parking?
@@nickotasla3091 I like to go to the passagrille dog beach. Less known and easy parking but dog beaches arent for everyone. The other I like is treasure island, big wide beaches and big public parking lots.