Garden Hack: Got Some Extra Boxes and Leaves?

 

“Boxes, Boxes, Everywhere.  In the hall and on the stairs….”-Crystal Bowman

 

Tis the Season for boxes and leaves. Yes, I know this is a weird combination to be talking about, but with the holidays everyone has lots of boxes and lying around, seeing how it is winter, your yard is probably littered with leaves. Your first instinct is probably to throw the boxes away and either burn or bag the leaves.  But before you burn, bag, or discard those boxes and leaves, I have an idea on how to use them; an idea that will not only get rid of them, but also stop weeds from growing in your garden and provide nutrition.

 

I needed some more paths in the garden, so I decided to use the cardboard boxes and leaves to create a few.

 

First I mapped out where I was going to put the paths and what plants I was going to plant for the spring (I needed to do that anyway).  The map doesn’t have to be anything fancy, it just gives you an idea and plan to follow.  You can download my map HERE to get an idea.

 

Next, I cleared a path by raking an area down and placing the soil and mulch on either side of the path.  Then I laid down the cardboard.

Then, I raked up leaves and put them on top of the cardboard.

That’s it!  Easy Peasy, Lemon Squeezy.  This will function to create a weed barrier till next fall when I will do it again, and as the leaves and cardboard decompose, I will be adding compost to the garden bed.  It’s a win, win.

Got anymore gardening hacks?  Leave Comment Below,   I would love to hear them.