Cardboard under raised beds

nwalch · « **on:** January 14, 2009, 20:13 »

On a couple of raised beds I 'cheated' and instead of digging over first, I just put a few thick layers of cardboard down and filled with compost. The sweetcorn and squash grow fine but if I want to plant say parsnips there this year will I have a problem with the bed not being deep before it hits the undug base.

peapod · « **Reply #1 on:** January 14, 2009, 20:15 »

Depends when you put it down..it could well be mostly rotted away now

richyrich7 · « **Reply #2 on:** January 14, 2009, 20:25 »

The cardboard will like Peapod has said rotted away by now but it may be a little hard going for the snips when they get to the old soil level, only one sure way to find out

peapod · « **Reply #3 on:** January 14, 2009, 20:47 »

That digging gets you in the end!!

woodburner · « **Reply #4 on:** January 14, 2009, 21:47 »

Last year I grew potatoes in well rotted manure on top of cardboard directly on top of campacted soil and weedy grass. At harvest time there were no potates in the ground proper, almost all of them were just on top of the original soil level. The old surface got well and truly broken up as I harvested the tatties, but if your ground was compacted before you put the cardboard down, it will still be compacted.

Some green manures are supposed to help condition the ground with deep roots. Alfalfa and buck wheat are good IIRC, comfrey might be good too but you will possibly find it hard to irradicate afterwards. :shock:

Ice · « **Reply #5 on:** January 14, 2009, 22:03 »

I love my raised beds and I have made the mistake of not digging over the bed before growing stuff. The ones I removed the grass and dug over are very productive. However, I did one last spring by just putting weed membrane on the grass and filling with soil. It's not great and I will be digging it over in the spring. There is no substitute for doing a job properly.

Robin Redbreast · « **Reply #6 on:** January 14, 2009, 22:44 »

you could always cheat a little more and rotovate the ground then cover with cardboard to stop weeds and cover with compost and topsoil! hmmmm might give it a try.....

pushrod · « **Reply #7 on:** January 15, 2009, 20:32 »

Quote from: "alandkell"

you could always cheat a little more and rotovate the ground then cover with cardboard to stop weeds and cover with compost and topsoil! hmmmm might give it a try.....

great minds think alike

If the weather is fine at the weekend that's what i will be doing.

titch · « **Reply #8 on:** January 15, 2009, 21:05 »

i put cardboard in the bottom of mine - we made them in june last year, put in parsnips, and some of them were over a foot long - seemed to do ok.
we gave the cardboard a thorough soaking first though - underneath that was the old lawn - full of worms when i dug up the snips so we seemed to do ok, but maybe we were lucky -

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