Make sure you use many layers and offset each layer from the next. I have had some grass pop up through mine 8 sheets thick.

This is what I did I made raised beds from old RR ties I found a landscaper redoing a wall and paid a helper $20 for a pickup load about 20 ties some very good some not so good in places but with a saw that was fixed.

Drive around and collect yard clippings and in the fall leaves dump and run over them with the mower. Put this on top of the paper Throw on a little fertelizer or something similar. I recycled urine for years and had the greenest yard on the block but could not tell how when I was asked.

If kept wet the ground leaves and grass will decompose very fast you do get lots of weeds so pile it on thick. When planting freebies from a neighbor I place soil in an oversized hole and planted in the middle of that. I have had to re add composted leaves and grass twice so far but the bed is looking good It has Sage, Phlox and Irises in it for low water needs which is why we are eliminating the grass. Water is curtailed and could go to even odd or twice weekly easily as it has done so in the past. I recycle washing machine water and bath water into just below the surface lateral line pipes so my water reuse is out of sight of the code natzies.

One note I found termites in the newspaper when I dug not many but I had nevwer seen any before so do not know where they came from.

Bill

Make sure you use many layers and offset each layer from the next. I have had some grass pop up through mine 8 sheets thick.

This is what I did I made raised beds from old RR ties I found a landscaper redoing a wall and paid a helper $20 for a pickup load about 20 ties some very good some not so good in places but with a saw that was fixed.

Drive around and collect yard clippings and in the fall leaves dump and run over them with the mower. Put this on top of the paper Throw on a little fertelizer or something similar. I recycled urine for years and had the greenest yard on the block but could not tell how when I was asked.

If kept wet the ground leaves and grass will decompose very fast you do get lots of weeds so pile it on thick. When planting freebies from a neighbor I place soil in an oversized hole and planted in the middle of that. I have had to re add composted leaves and grass twice so far but the bed is looking good It has Sage, Phlox and Irises in it for low water needs which is why we are eliminating the grass. Water is curtailed and could go to even odd or twice weekly easily as it has done so in the past. I recycle washing machine water and bath water into just below the surface lateral line pipes so my water reuse is out of sight of the code natzies.

One note I found termites in the newspaper when I dug not many but I had nevwer seen any before so do not know where they came from.

Bill

Make sure you use many layers and offset each layer from the next. I have had some grass pop up through mine 8 sheets thick.

This is what I did I made raised beds from old RR ties I found a landscaper redoing a wall and paid a helper $20 for a pickup load about 20 ties some very good some not so good in places but with a saw that was fixed.

Drive around and collect yard clippings and in the fall leaves dump and run over them with the mower. Put this on top of the paper Throw on a little fertelizer or something similar. I recycled urine for years and had the greenest yard on the block but could not tell how when I was asked.

If kept wet the ground leaves and grass will decompose very fast you do get lots of weeds so pile it on thick. When planting freebies from a neighbor I place soil in an oversized hole and planted in the middle of that. I have had to re add composted leaves and grass twice so far but the bed is looking good It has Sage, Phlox and Irises in it for low water needs which is why we are eliminating the grass. Water is curtailed and could go to even odd or twice weekly easily as it has done so in the past. I recycle washing machine water and bath water into just below the surface lateral line pipes so my water reuse is out of sight of the code natzies.

One note I found termites in the newspaper when I dug not many but I had nevwer seen any before so do not know where they came from.

Bill

Make sure you use many layers and offset each layer from the next. I have had some grass pop up through mine 8 sheets thick.

This is what I did I made raised beds from old RR ties I found a landscaper redoing a wall and paid a helper $20 for a pickup load about 20 ties some very good some not so good in places but with a saw that was fixed.

Drive around and collect yard clippings and in the fall leaves dump and run over them with the mower. Put this on top of the paper Throw on a little fertelizer or something similar. I recycled urine for years and had the greenest yard on the block but could not tell how when I was asked.

If kept wet the ground leaves and grass will decompose very fast you do get lots of weeds so pile it on thick. When planting freebies from a neighbor I place soil in an oversized hole and planted in the middle of that. I have had to re add composted leaves and grass twice so far but the bed is looking good It has Sage, Phlox and Irises in it for low water needs which is why we are eliminating the grass. Water is curtailed and could go to even odd or twice weekly easily as it has done so in the past. I recycle washing machine water and bath water into just below the surface lateral line pipes so my water reuse is out of sight of the code natzies.

One note I found termites in the newspaper when I dug not many but I had nevwer seen any before so do not know where they came from.

Bill

Water them down well once you lay them, and you can anchor at the edges with rocks, bricks, anything that will hold them down.

Kathy

Go to lumber yards or construction sites and snag the plastic used to cover bundles of lumber. This is free and most often there is a black side that can be placed up to help heat the soil.

Remember that proper solarization requires that the ground be turned over and watered before covering during the warmest months of the year.

check with your city or county to see if they have free mulch from collecting leaves and tree limbs. it will not be as weed free as bagged mulch but it will be free :-)

check with your city or county to see if they have free mulch from collecting leaves and tree limbs. it will not be as weed free as bagged mulch but it will be free :-)

I recently had great luck with getting a load of 'moving boxes' from freecycle.. I just broke down the boxes and laid the cardboard down in a patchwork pattern, then added my starter (cheap) soil, wet it down good and ta-dah! NO more grass, and I'm slowly building the bed up lasagna-style from there..

I also had the idea to use posterboard on a smaller area near a walkway that I wanted to lay mulch, but the weeding had gotten outta control.. worked like a charm! :)

~Wendy / sassybutterfly_2008

I recycle the cardboard boxes that some of my food comes in,for example the popcorn boxes,can coke boxes,saltine crackers,ect.You get the idea,from small to larger sizes.I lay the brown side down and the colorful side up,these types of boxes work really well in small area,walkways,paths,etc.I use large boxes from the furniture store for large areas.I use pine straw on top to hold them down..

if you have quack grass, your gonna have to go more than 10 layers thick!! i have quack grass in my garden and a really nice lady told me to put mine 10 layers thick. so i just layed it down not flat open either and stacked them so nothing come up in there. well it did. so i'd say go thicker. i used some plastic for my other beds (boxes), and so far its working. :') and it drains on the sides. ~Medo

Myself I occassionally use cardboard as an aid in certain situations it is quite useful.

Layer it on and keep layering .
Weed wack , round-up , cardboard , newspaper , sticks , branches , logs - whatever it takes .
Layering is not just a one time job .
Look around your area for coffee grounds from restaurants , manure from farms , hay from horse stalls , bedding from hamsters or rabbits - all free and all excellent for layering .
Seeds will float in from the air and sprout so weeding is a forever job . The idea is to reduce the amount of unwanted growth to allow plants you encourage to grow to flourish .
The club stores keep cardboard boxes out for their customers . You do not have to be a member to take them . It really is worth the extra effort in the long run .

I buy 50 lb bags of Purina Dog Chow and used the bags as a weed barrier next to my garage.

They are covered with pea-gravel that I salvaged from a business that was being re-roofed. (How's that for frugal -lol)

Don't use next to a plant however because the bags are water-proof. I'm sure they would kill the grass similar to a tarp.