Another high priority for re inventing this place was not having grass. Cardboard laid over the grass with 6 to 8 inches of leaves piled on top for several months is the way to go. I found large pieces of cardboard at furniture stores and bike stores. Big pieces are best, better coverage, more convenient. The City delivers leaves in the Fall. [call them to arrange a delivery]. The mulch was in place from October to March. I did toss the leaves a couple of times so help with decomposition without puncturing the cardboard.

Finally, in March, I identified where my paths would be. This also defined the bed locations. I dug through the well decayed leaves [still leafy] through the cardboard and turned the soil and sod fork by fork. The dead sod and grass is best to dig out and shake the dirt off. It was all dead but still very much a clump. I set the sod aside, none of it grew back although dandelions survived, not much of a problem. Sheet mulching REALLY works. It is far better than digging out living grass if you have a choice. Since then,2 1/2 years ago, weeds do recolonize but the upkeep is pretty easy. Keeping grass out of the garden is one of the most time consuming chores in a typical yard. Not have the grass in the garden area saves a lot of time.

The paths are now chipped wood. Beds are nice odd geometric shapes. I did both front and back yards. Vege garden is in the back yard. Front yard is bramble garden, blueberries, front habitat/water feature. For converting grassy areas to garden and habitat, sheet mulching can't be beat.

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