tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33516164.post3917770361683634679..comments2023-10-12T02:02:54.330-06:00Comments on Woman with a Hatchet: Revamping a Garden BedWoman with a Hatchethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16539793554273012568noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33516164.post-4261065482697099172008-06-04T03:03:00.000-06:002008-06-04T03:03:00.000-06:00Thank you for your notes back! Long story short, ...Thank you for your notes back! <BR/><BR/>Long story short, there are a few azaleas (sp??) that we would like to keep as well as some 4 year old oak trees. <BR/><BR/>Can we just leave some space around them to allow for them to live? or will they die too?Trixie Twatwafflehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12712977707578497875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33516164.post-2639021367356380412008-06-03T21:43:00.000-06:002008-06-03T21:43:00.000-06:00Oh, I assume you didn't want to keep ANY of the fl...Oh, I assume you didn't want to keep ANY of the flowers in the bed.<BR/><BR/>If you do, dig those up first, then proceed with wild abandon!<BR/><BR/>I actually did that previously, <A HREF="http://womanwithahatchet.blogspot.com/2006/08/starting-over.html" REL="nofollow">here</A>.Woman with a Hatchethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16539793554273012568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33516164.post-87717604743949957932008-06-03T21:41:00.000-06:002008-06-03T21:41:00.000-06:00Hello Margaret, my lurky lurker!No, actually, I di...Hello Margaret, my lurky lurker!<BR/><BR/>No, actually, I didn't weed at ALL. Instead, we mowed the whole thing down, weeds and all, then soaked the paper and laid it down in THICK stacks (10 or more sheets thick) and then tossed several inches/feet of soil over top.<BR/><BR/>This may not kill off the most horrible of weeds, but it will give your new plants a serious fighting chance and will either a) smother the weeds permanently or until you decide to rototill the bed up, pulling weed seeds to the top layer or b) force the weeds to expend so much energy to reach the light that they are easy to pull once they get there.<BR/><BR/>If you decide to weed FIRST, you guarantee that those weeds won't be coming back. However, I was in a hurry and was seriously cutting corners.<BR/><BR/>So! <BR/><BR/>Lazy way: mow everything down, soak your huge pile of newspaper, lay it on thick, then add several inches of topsoil enriched with compost (Seriously: compost ROCKS!), plug in your plants and mulch.<BR/><BR/>Tougher way: weed first, then do everything else listed above.<BR/><BR/>I will, of course, keep the blog updated with assorted pictures over time. Feel free to mock me if my method fails miserably! : ) At the very least, it can't hurt to start over. Seeds are cheap and gardening is all about time, anyway.<BR/><BR/>Good luck and thanks for reading!Woman with a Hatchethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16539793554273012568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33516164.post-11259303757288145632008-06-03T20:16:00.000-06:002008-06-03T20:16:00.000-06:00from a lurkerwho has flower bedswith horrible weed...from a lurker<BR/><BR/>who has flower beds<BR/><BR/>with horrible weeds - <BR/><BR/>Do I have this right? weed the flower bed. Lay down newspaper that has soaked and then lay down fresh dirt/mulch? <BR/><BR/>Will that kill the weeds forever or just until the next season and the paper disintegrates? <BR/><BR/>Just curious...Trixie Twatwafflehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12712977707578497875noreply@blogger.com