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The world of sheet mulching evolved to confusion ever since ‘lasagna gardening’ was used interchangeably. As if it was synonymous. Lasagna gardening has a mediocre reputation and questionably outweighs its pros to cons—so it’s no wonder we search to clarify the effectiveness of sheet mulching.
Sheet mulch successfully smothers most weeds and forms a fresh slate for planting what you want. Remove persistent weeds before laying sheet mulch. After sheet mulching, you can cut through to plant in the ground and top it with other mulch material.
After several seasons, all forms of mulch will break down into a growable medium. You can either add an inch or two of regular mulch and continue to suppress any uninvited growth, or seed your space with the desired ground cover.
The remainder of this article will clarify the purpose of sheet mulching, and deliver scenarios of when it works and when it doesn’t. By the end, you’ll know how sheet mulching applies (or doesn’t apply) to your situation.
Here are six ways you can sheet mulch differently and in what circumstance to use each method.
What is the purpose of sheet mulching?
Before we ever laid sheet mulch, we wanted to know if it was actually the right move. After discovering all the confusion online, we decided to go ahead and sheet mulch where we thought was appropriate. After sheet mulching in a few areas with different needs, we’ve seen the results and functions in action.
The purpose of sheet mulching is to decompose and eliminate competition for desired plants or crops. A sheet layer deprives seeds and existing plants of light and the ability to grow. Perfect for those who want a plant-free mulch floor in their garden.
Mulch of any kind is meant to replace a “living mulch” or ground cover between desired plants. Sheet mulch is a flattening and black-out way of ensuring no established weeds can pop through.
decomposition and compression are both the goals of effective sheet mulching. Sheet mulching also acts as a long-term “fertilizer” for soil building.
Sheet mulching can be problem-free in the right scenario.
When does sheet mulch work for vegetable gardening?
Organic sheet mulch works for vegetable gardening in warmer climates. When predators are adequate, organic sheet mulch can also work in temperate climates but with the consequence of a shorter growing season. The solution to organic mulch issues can be an inorganic temporary sheet “mulch”.
Predators are often eliminated from a vegetable garden, unless it’s situated among a forest garden that fosters balance.
A shorter growing season occurs when the soil stays cold for longer than it has to. A vinyl black tarp will warm the soil faster than if it were covered naturally or bare.
Sheet mulch for veg garden pathways:
Sheet mulching rows between vegetable beds (with paper leaf bags) hasn’t been problematic in the slightest for us. We heavily covered the paper with whole leaves for further smothering and moisture retention.
If sheet mulch isn’t covered by other mulch material it will be prone to hydrophobia and resist water. While this would be less problematic for pathways, it wouldn’t be desireable to walk on, nor would it stay put well.
Plants are beginning to grow from the sides of the beds and into the decomposing leaves but scarely so. Pull the persistent pop-ups here and there and top up with another thick layer of leaves.
Building soil in your rows with mulch is a great way to create compost that vegetables can consume. The sheet mulch would be done once to smother established plants and reset the slate for successful smothering.
Sheet mulch for in-ground beds:
Mulch needs to be removed to plants vegetables efficiently.
If doing the pathway mulch method, you could put the new whole leaves on your garden beds in fall, and then rake those leaves into your old pathway mulch when it’s time to plant your bed.
This works best for vegetable beds that have mounded soil higher than the pathways.
An alternative to this organic approach would be method #6.
Sheet composting for raised beds:
Sheet composting is more like lasagna gardening, except what I am talking about is done one time rather than yearly. So I am referring to it as sheet composting.
When making raised beds sheet composting hasn’t shown to be problematic. It’s when you lay sheets on the ground to act as a black-out barrier between the ground and the fresh soil going into your raised bed structure.
The sheets will deprive weeds below, allow your fresh soil to stay free of competition, and compost in place.
This article was originally published on foodforestliving.com. If it is now published on any other site, it was done without permission from the copyright owner.
When does sheet mulch work for food forest gardens?
Organic sheet mulch works for forest gardens when predators are adequate.
Slugs and rodents can be a problem for any many plants. But the whole point of a forest garden is to embrace all the critters and add balance, rather than eliminate “pests.”
Pest problems in a forest garden are often fixed with the addition of habitat for predators such as snakes or wild birds.
Another solution could be the sheet mulch material. We prefer leaf bags over cardboard. Cardboard is stiff which creates more pockets and tunnels for rodents. The paper leaf bags mold to the ground with the weight of woodchips on top.
Related post: What kind of materials are effective for sheet mulching?
So while some growers may inevitably struggle at the start with new problems; the benefits outweigh these fixable cons.
The benefits of sheet mulch in a forest garden include protected soil, increased earthworm population, water retention, soil building, few weeds to manage (if any), and low competition environment for plants.
When does sheet mulch work for ornamental landscapes?
Sheet mulch is effective for ornamental landscapes when persistent weeds are removed before the sheets are placed.
An ornamental landscape either needs a heavy-seeded cover crop or a decently permanent weed-smothering solution. Sheet mulch is a fine option for the mulched look.
But if such a project isn’t planned and done right—a clean look won’t last for many seasons (if any).
Plants such as horsetail or quackgrass can and will pop through any opportune opening. While they wait to find one, they are growing and spreading everywhere beneath the sheets. Creating a large problem when it comes time to actually fix the problem by the root cause! It’s vital to remove such weeds before sheet mulching.
Everything in this post is compiled from others’ experiences and our own. There may be factors for you that render any technique problematic. Since I/we don’t live where you do, we wouldn’t know.
At the end of the day, the best you can do is experiment.
Experiment with these described techniques and learn what works best for you and your environment. Find new solutions as problems arise and regard everything online as something to test for yourself.
Related: The 20 Ultimate Rules to Mulching (Make No Mistakes)
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