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New Beds And Borders (II)

By Sereba Agiobu-Kemmer
10 October 2015   |   3:19 am
CONTINUING on the topic of making new beds and borders, some things are vital for good preparation and the maintenance of your newly created beds and borders. These include things such as:

 

Mulching improves soil, gives garden clean appearance, reduce watering and weeding protect plant roots from extreme temperatures.

Mulching improves soil, gives garden clean appearance, reduce watering and weeding protect plant roots from extreme temperatures.

Watering, build trough around new plants to prevents water flowing away.

Watering, build trough around new plants to prevents water flowing away.

Preparation For New Beds And Borders
CONTINUING on the topic of making new beds and borders, some things are vital for good preparation and the maintenance of your newly created beds and borders. These include things such as:

Edging

KEEP the lawn from crawling into your garden bed with a good edge. Edging is not a moat to hold in the mulch; it is a barrier to prevent grass that spreads by roots underground from creeping into your bed.

Consequently, to do any good, the edging material has to be wide enough to be sunk five or six inches deep into the soil, with the ends overlapped four inches and secure with edging pins.

As an alternative to edging materials, dig an eight inch deep trench and a couple of inches wide around the bed and fill it with mulch (so the wheel of the lawn mower doesn’t fall in) and it will stop even the worst invaders from crossing. It works just fine and is cheaper.

Mulch Soil

If you treat with “weed and feed” chemical products, do not directly sow your flowers or vegetable seeds into the soil, as they will not germinate.

Weed and feed products kill all germinating seeds, not just the weed seeds. If you use a weed and feed product, you will want to install plants already growing in pots or packs to fill your bed the first time.

By the next planting season, the chemicals should have broken down and you will be able to direct seed, if you so wish.

Site Your Plants
Once you have prepared your bed and your amended soil is in place, you are ready for the fun part of this project, planting your new garden bed.
Though it takes a little extra time, placing all your plants before you, before putting them in the ground can make a world of difference.
This allows you to get the spacing just right and make your plants really look good next to each other.

Get Planting
When you know all of your plants are in exactly the right spots, plant them in the ground. It is helpful to loosen or tease the plants’ roots before you put them in the ground, especially if they are root-bound.

Mulch
Other than amending the soil, the best thing you can do to keep your new garden healthy and low-maintenance is to spread mulch.
A two-inch deep layer of shredded wood or other materials will do wonders for stopping weeds and helping your soil conserve moisture during times of drought.

After you plant the bed, you may still want to add a layer of compost or mulch to the top of the soil, as this will help keep weeds from growing, makes for a neater look overall and help maintains moisture in the soil.

Watering
Once your bed is planted and mulched, give your plants a good soaking. If your mulch is dry, it may absorb some water before your plants can. Soak dry mulch well to make sure your plants get enough moisture.

Tips For Brand New Beds
Work the soil when it is moist.
Turn the soil to a depth of at least 12 inches.
Add two to three inches of compost and turn it into the bed.

Either cover the bed with a thick (three to four inch) layer of mulch or use a weed and feed to help keep weed seeds from germinating.

Top dress with another layer of compost to keep down weeds and preserve moisture.

By now, you know there is more to a good-looking landscape than plants. You have learnt aspects of putting in a new landscape and tips of how to prevent your new garden from being overrun with grass, weeds, suckers and re-growing shrubs.
Now, you know how to “make your bed” successfully and to keep it beautiful.

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