A raised garden bed is a great fashion to arise all sorts of plant , from vegetables to flowers . If you already have a garden and want to transmute part into a raised bed , you ’ve probably call up of reusing honest-to-goodness greensward to fill the layer . We ’re funny to see if it ’s a good idea to use old turf , so we research this to get hold the solution for you .

A monetary value - efficient style to satiate your raised garden bottom is by partially filling them with old sward . Organically maintained lawn produce greensward that decomposes into nitrogen - rich ground , which is beneficial for raised layer . merge your onetime turf with fresh organic soil to produce a sizable layer of grunge for your new plants .

There are many benefits when using old turf as a fond makeweight for raised beds . This post will also discuss other materials you’re able to habituate to help oneself fill your raised garden bottom .

A Patio can be seen on the left and part of some garden furniture. - Can You Use Old Turf To Fill A Raised Bed? Should You?

We ’ll also discuss different shipway to use old turf , so keep scroll and love this post !

Can You Use Old Turf To Fill A Raised Bed? Should You?

Building a call forth bed for your garden is a great way to do space in the garden . Typically , a raised seam is a freestanding bottom with soil piled higher than ground level to fire plant off the solid ground .

Sometimes , garden beds have physique around their margin to support the territory and the plant life in them , but you could also have a raised seam without them .

There are many reasons why gardeners care to useraised bedsin their garden .

lawn in rolls

Benefits of Using Old Turf

Generally speaking , garden beds use lots of soil for works to rise well . With the bed " heighten " above the ground , you ’ll needmore soilthan you typically need for a garden .

Ideally , a raised seam should be at least 8 inches cryptical and up to 24 inches deep if you plan to develop ascendent vegetables .

Using old sward will importantly skip down the costs for the ground that you will need for the lift beds . Since raised bed can be pretty bass , you ’ll involve a peck of soil to fill up the full space of the garden seam .

Vegetable garden with raised beds, focus on foreground

With sure-enough sward as fond fill for the raised beds , you ’ll only need about half of the amount of sassy soil to make full the put up beds .

One of the best benefit you’re able to get from old turf is organically rich dirt . When pack into fresh soil , old turf decomposes into nitrogen - plentiful soil that helps the emergence of new plant .

The decomposed cloth from old sward helps make goodly soil for works growth , and this is peculiarly good if you ’re planning to grow vegetables .

Wooden garden fence coated with medium oak colour paint UK

If you are using one-time turf for your raised beds , expect the soil to be a quite a little looser and less compact compared to the stain . For plant roots to grow quickly , they necessitate to have serious air circulation to permit them to breathe while increase .

apart from having good air circulation , onetime turf also has great draining capabilities . The soil retains more water without leaving the earth too waterlogged , providing excellent moisture for the flora .

How To Fill Raised Bed With Old Turf

replete a raised bed with old turf is easy . However , it ’s not as simple-minded as just dumping the old grass on the bed and covering it with soil .

In this television , these gardeners utilize the same method of using turf as extra soil filler for their garden . In their case , they simply flip over the turf and cover the tops with soil .

Check out their methods to see how you’re able to satiate a raise bed with old turf .

Green lawn (with a bit of clover) in a colorful landscaped formal garden.

Materials needed:

Instructions:

Are The Other Uses For Old Turf?

Aside from filling up your raised beds , honest-to-goodness turf also has several otheruses . In particular , onetime sward is a fantastic addition to compost . Old greensward has a circle of nutrients jam - pack in the soil , so adding them to the compost heap will make it even more nutritionary for the plant .

To create compost from one-time sod , cut them down into manageable pieces . Place them in a space separate from your garden and lay the old sward down .

grade more layer of old superoxide dismutase on top of it , all with the locoweed side down , to forestall regrowth . verify to wet each piece of old turf every prison term you sum up another level .

If the honest-to-goodness greensward has too much thatch , you may add together nitrogen - fat plant food to the layers to aid compost - making . you may build this sward compost passel up to 2 feet deep .

After you ’ve layered all the old turf on top of each other , cover the entire matter in thick , black credit card . Garbage bag are great , but you may be able to encounter prominent - sized credit card in the garden store .

consider down the sharpness with heavy rocks or clinker blocks , and do n’t get the light get into the compost passel .

Leave the turf compost until the following springtime , and you ’ll have robust , organic compost for the new planting season .

Final Thoughts

A raised layer in the garden does n’t have to be fill with new soil . Using old turf to take the bed is a keen room to introduce constitutional matter into the territory . It ’s a enceinte way of life to reuse good for you , alimentary - rich material in your garden without breaking the bank building .

Just check that you ’re using organically conserve turf for your raised bed , peculiarly if you plan to plant vegetables in them .

Do you want more data about raised garden beds ? We have article that can aid you :

How To Clear Overgrown Raised Beds ? [ Do This ! ]

What Size Hardware Cloth Do I Need For A Raised Bed [ & How To Attach It ] ?