Bed width and orientation, sides or not
Plot layout beds and paths
No Dig Gardening

This lesson is mainly for those who are starting out, because, once you have beds and paths in place, it’s a lot of work to change their layout. I explain how best to align and create beds, using different areas of Homeacres as examples.

Starting out and clearing

In November 2012, when I moved into Homeacres, the 3000 m2 (0.75 acre) area of land was mostly grass, weeds and a few woody plants. Many of the weeds were perennial, such as creeping buttercup (Ranunculus repens), dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) and couch grass (Elymus repens) – see Lesson 9 for descriptions of these. I call this combination of plants ‘pasture’, meaning grass and weeds.

Homeacres’ pasture had not been much grazed or mown, and I subsequently discovered how vigorous its roots were. It is an important distinction to be clear on because, for example, the roots and vigour of grass and weeds in a frequently mown lawn will be far less, making them quicker to die under a mulch.

  • Use thicker cardboard and 15 cm (6 in) of compost when weeds are vigorous (see Lesson 17 for an example of this). Or, if not in a hurry to plant, spread compost on the ground then polythene on top.
  • On a mown lawn, thinner cardboard and 5–7 cm (2–3 in) of compost can be enough to kill weeds, and also to sow/plant into immediately.

Start by looking at what is there, and imagining how you would like it to be, before you begin. Play with those ideas, and dare to imagine a few results and harvests.

Stages of making the small garden
Shed area and concrete
Nearby trees and tall hedges
Bed width
Bed layout and orientation
New beds
Step 15
Step 15
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