Shrink-your-lawn kits
Below are instructions for our Shrink Your Lawn kit, which can be ordered at the nursery in spring and fall. Read through them before ordering your kit. We are currently offering this kit via online preorder only (no walk-in purchases of the kit at this time).
Pickup
Make sure you have room in your car! Below is what is included in each kit.
5'x6' kit: 3 bags of mulch (2 cubic ft each), two 6' long rolls of cardboard.
10'x6' kit: 5 bags of mulch (2 cubic ft each), two 6' long rolls of cardboard.
15'x6' kit: 8 bags of mulch (2 cubic ft each), two 6' long rolls of cardboard.
Before you start
Check for "super weeds"
Check your bed location for 3 “super weeds": non-native Canada thistle, field bindweed, and quackgrass. These plants won’t be killed by smothering and can become a weed problem in your new planting. If you find any of these weeds, put the bed somewhere else or call Meadow City for advice.
Consider your timing
Use your kit as soon as you buy it, while the grass is actively growing. The kit kills your grass by smothering it, which will not work in the winter or in the dead of summer when the grass is dormant.
Plan your placement
This kit is appropriate for relatively flat areas without a lot of water. Slopes and running water can move the cardboard and mulch around, and a standing water can break down the cardboard before it has smothered your vegetation.
Very rarely, people have issues with termites being attracted to decomposing cardboard. If this is a concern, leave 3 feet between your new garden bed and your home. To remove turf right against your home, try one of our alternative methods.
Using the kit
Step 1: Mow the lawn (optional)
Mow or trim the grass as short as you can. This step is optional, but can help make the smothering process faster.
Step 2: Unroll the cardboard
Unroll your first piece of cardboard smooth side up. Stack your second layer on top, rough side up. You can make different bed shapes by cutting the cardboard.
Step 3: Spread the mulch
Dump the mulch onto the cardboard and spread it into a 2 inch layer. A metal garden rake is the best tool for this, but a leaf rake or even hands will work, too.
Step 4: Water the bed
Use a hose to soak the new bed. This keeps the mulch in place.
When the grass is dead
Check the grass in about 1 month
After 1 month, check whether the grass has died under the cardboard. If the grass is dead, it will be completely brown. White/yellow grass is still searching for light, and will revive if given the chance. It is best to wait until your grass is completely dead. If you want to go ahead and plant before then, you will just need to pay extra attention to weeding around your new plants.
Plant!
Don't add anything (soil or fertilizer) to your cardboard and mulch. Simply nudge the mulch aside, use a hand trowel or box cutter to cut a little hole in your cardboard, and dig a hole for your plant in the soil underneath.
Make sure your plant's soil is level with the soil under the cardboard, and firmly tamp down any loose soil around your plant. Then nudge the mulch back around your plants, making sure the mulch isn't touching the plant stems. Water your plant in well.
When you come back for your plants, we'll give you 10% off, as long as you plant at our recommended 1.5' spacing. This will make the garden to fill in quickly, help prevent tall plants flopping over, and reduce weeding. You’ll need 16 plants for a 6'x5' bed, 28 for a 6'x10' bed, and 40 for a 6'x15' bed.
Immediate care (watering)
For the first week, water every day. In the second, water every other day. After that, water during dry spells and when any of the plants appear wilty.
Longterm care (weeding)
While your cardboard is intact, cut any weeds that pop through at the base using snips or scissors, taking care to damage the cardboard as little as possible. Then pile a bit of mulch in the spot where the weed was.
The important thing is to prevent weeds from reseeding in your garden. Weeds take a minimum of 3 weeks to grow, flower, and reseed, so weeding for 15 minutes every couple of weeks will keep them under control.
Once the cardboard has decomposed, you can use a dutch hoe or scuffle hoe for weeding. It’s twice as fast and is easier on the knees.
It can be challenging to tell native plants from weeds. In the 1st year, the weeds will be smaller than your plants. In the 2nd year on, weeds will be mixed with native seedlings, which you can remove or let grow. ID apps may not work on seedlings. The Gardener’s Guide to Prairie Plants includes pictures of native plant seedlings and is available for sale at the nursery.