The term ‘Sheet Mulching’ doesn’t mean adding an old Snoopy, San Francisco 49ers or Barbie sheet to cover up your gigantic weed patch. Oops, I mean front lawn. Sheet mulching, also sometimes called Lasagna Gardening, is the process of adding sheets of organic matter to an area of your yard where you want to grow flowers or vegetables the following season. By adding a few layers of organic matter to a fallow or weed-infested area, you'll be sending a mostly invisible band-of-brothers down into your dirt shouting, "Party on, dude!" to all the fungal, microbial and insect life underground. You'll automatically be improving the texture, structure and nutrient value of your soil without adding any chemical fertilizers. Future plants growing in that area will have far better resistance to diseases and pests. You’ll then be able to pack up your shed full of chemical warfare (pesticides and synthetic fertilizers) and take them to your local hazardous waste disposal site. (Call 1-800- cleanup for the nearest drop off site in your area.) You don’t need that toxic relationship anymore. You’re cleaning up your act. Co-dependent no more. Your new affirmation will be, “I love and deserve the bacteria, fungus and worm turds in my soil.” Now say that 3 times.

Don’t you feel better already?

A fantastic time to sheet mulch is in the fall so that organic matter will be decomposing for about two seasons. By early spring you'll be able to plant and have a healthy, prolific yard. If you've been thinking about removing a front lawn or part of a lawn so you're wasting less water and using fewer chemicals, sheet mulching is for you! Don't physically remove your lawn. Simply mow it and add your sheet mulch layers right on top. If you're new to this garden or your yard has not been doing a thing but sloughing off on Facebook, you may want to do a soil test first. Many good soil testers are available at local nurseries or at www.GrowOrganic.com.

* Step 1: Trust and Trample

Chop down any tall weeds. Don’t pull them out of the ground, unless they’ve gone to seed, as this will wake up all the weed seeds hiding on your block. Simply step on weeds or chop them to the ground and leave them there to decay naturally. Remove any large woody materials. If this is a lawn or part of a lawn, simply mow the area and leave grass clippings on the lawn. (Visit www.lawnreform.org to see why us eco-centrics urge you to lose the lawn.)

* Step 2: Add a Concentrated Layer of Compost

Add several inches of compost or aged horse manure or worm castings to the top of the soil or grass. This is high in nitrogen and will shake up the microbial life underground.

If your soil is hard clay you may want to add some gypsum at this time. If your soil is very acidic, you could blend in some limestone. The package will give the correct amount to add per square foot. Add any other soil amendments your soil test kit suggested at this time.

Thoroughly soak the ground with water.

* Step 3: Add a Weed Barrier

This barrier will prevent germination of the troublemaker weed seeds and their cohorts by taking them to the dark side. You'll want to make sure they never see the light of day again, literally. Both the weeds and grass will die and become food for earthworms. This weed barrier will eventually decompose as well.

You have a few options for your weed barrier: newspapers, cardboard, burlap bags, gypsum board or even worn-out jeans. Most gardeners choose newspapers or cardboard. (Cardboard will take longer to break down.) Lay out 4-6 sheets of newspapers thick or single layers of cardboard along the entire area, making sure each piece is overlapping with the next. Don’t leave any soil exposed to light. If you’re sheet mulching around any existing plants, make sure to leave a few inches between the plant and mulch.

* Step 4: The Final Layer

This layer mimics the top layer of the forest. Add a 3-6 inch layer of mulch such as leaves, wood chips or straw. (Some gardeners like to add another layer of compost here, before adding the mulch. If you have the compost and time, go ahead. You may become the teacher’s pet, but it’s not necessary to do, and we will definitely talk about you behind your back.

Water weekly if no rain is expected.

At this time or later in the season, you can cut and dig holes through the mulch and weed barrier to place any plants in the soil. Make sure to leave good air circulation between the new plant and the mulch.

For extra credit, you can do what I do. (Let’s dress the same too. Let me know what color shirt you’ll be wearing tomorrow!) I cut holes in the sheet mulch and plant cover crop seeds there. This way, come spring, my soil is loaded with nutrients that are in a form crops and flowers can easily take in and smile back to me, as if I were a saint. Saint Spiegelman.

Springtime for Saints
Come spring, you can plant directly into your sheet mulch, as it should be fully decomposed. There will be no reason to turn the soil here since you hired the earthworms to do the work for you already. Isn't nature grand! After planting flowers or crops, you may want to add a new top layer of mulch to keep plants cool in the summer, deter pests and weeds, and retain moisture.