Tag: cardboard

Building a New Garden Path

The past winter and spring months have kept me busy in the garden. The planing, planting, weeding, and watering has been a first priority and I’ve neglected the walkways. Also, I still don’t have my own vehicle and must depend on getting rides to the yard shop. Between all that and the weather, I’ve put off buying the items needed to build my new garden path.

yard back corner with lawn
Yard 2023 – grass
black mulch walkway in 2023
old dark mulch walkway
cardboard ground cover
Cardboard down to kill grass

Even though I had put cardboard and mulch down about a year ago, the mulch has broken down and the weeds are coming through. A new path is a good reminder of where to walk too! I know where my veggies are planted, but other people don’t, and if they venture into my yard, they could crush little growth that is difficult to see.

Cardboard and Mulch

Saving cardboard boxes is a regular pastime at my house. I stack them up on the porch, along with shipping paper that comes in boxes. Anything that I won’t use gets burned in the burn barrel, or put out for recycling. The cardboard collection is large, so I had no trouble filling up the walkway.

I had to have the mulch bags to hold the cardboard in place so the wind wouldn’t blow it around.

garden work
back to front
cardboard and mulch
front to back
mulch walkway backyard
Mulch path
mulch garden path
2024 – New garden path!

My son drove me to the Yard Shop to pick up some bags of mulch, and I was in business.

I’m an older lady and know my limitations when it comes to yard work. So the first day I put out the cardboard and set the bags of mulch on top. Thankfully the mulch was dry and the bags were easy enough for me to move.

The following day, I opened up the bags and spread them over the cardboard, adding more cardboard in places that needed filling in.

And there it was – my new garden path!

I’d like some flagstones, or slate pieces, to put on top of the mulch. Maybe I will pick some up at some point.

We also picked up a few bags of mushroom compost and potting soil, which I am mixing up 50/50 in the wheelbarrow and putting around the plants that are currently growing.

Our weather here on the east coast of Florida has been beautiful and fairly cool for about a week now. Have to get this stuff done while we can. Oh, and I just ordered a collection of veggie seeds for the year… will be writing about that soon.

Happy gardening!

garden scene

Stories for the gardener…

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Recycle Cardboard Boxes For Use in the Garden

Cardboard boxes and paper get recycled into the yard as I plan out spaces for my flower and vegetable gardens.

It might look messy for a while, but cardboard boxes can be recycled as ground cover in the yard and garden. They serve several purposes in fact.

We get a lot of deliveries coming in cardboard boxes and now that I am planting, they have become useful in the yard. I keep all sizes!

cardboard boxes in the garden
Cardboard keeps the ground cool and weeds from growing

I began using cardboard and newspaper when I gardened in New Hampshire. In order to create a new garden space for the following summer, I would layer paper and cardboard over the garden spot and leave it all winter.

Florida growth is different, and quite difficult to control, especially since it gets to grow year round! In winter it slows down, and many vines die back. But, in summer it’s like some horror movie where the vines grow faster than I can cut them back. And everything here grows by vines and runners.

Soil Protectors

Now that it’s hot, I am using my old boxes to keep this bare garden cool and wet as I plan what to plant.

The cardboard works great to keep weeds from growing. It is also perfect to create quick walkways. It’s helpful to have some mulch or dirt to put on top, but when it’s wet, and not windy outside, it will stay in place.

cardboard in the garden
cat on cardboard
Fontana enjoys this place to rest

Once the garden area was tilled, I had nothing really to plant. Placing cardboard over the dirt keeps the weeds and grass from filling back in. Fontana likes it too. I’ll be planting here in Fall – oops, I planted here in July. One tomato seedling needed a home, so I planted it here. Also, two sunflowers sprang up on their own! Next I put in some Suyo Long cucumbers, which are supposed to do well in the heat.

  • volunteer sunflowers
    Volunteer sunflowers
  • Cardboard as mulch in the garden
    Summer garden

Outdoor Cat Beds (and Walkway Markers)

I’ve noticed that here in Florida, placing cardboard on grass won’t kill it. The runners just come out the sides and continue on! The grass here is tough. But by using cardboard and then mulch on top, you can make yourself a pretty nice walkway. Once the yard it covered, this will be much more manageable.

  • uses for cardboard in the yard
  • mulched garden path
    Garden path in the works
  • mulched garden path
    New path

Skittle’s Bed

My black cat Skittle has a favorite, shady outdoor spot. She sleeps under the raised, wooden bed my son built. When the cardboard gets wet and dirty from rain, I just switch it out with a new piece, and use the dirty piece for the garden.

black cat sleeping on cardboard
Cardboard cat bed

By the way, even though it’s very hot this time of year, my cat loves to be outside. She stays in the yard, ignores the birds, and comes in every so often to cool off and eat. I don’t know how she stands the heat, but she loves it. This is her happy place.

Did you know that earthworms like paper and cardboard?

I find lots of nice, juicy earthworms under Skittle’s bed! They like that cool space too. Sometimes I will move the worms into a garden bed. I do have a lot of worms in each of my raised beds, which I worked at.

Kneeling Mat For Planting

What is there to say? I kneel on cardboard to plant gardens when there is a good size project to accomplish.

cardboard for kneeling
A piece of cardboard for kneeling while planting

Cardboard Tray For Little Pots

Any time I get these cool little trays made of cardboard, I keep them. They can hold garden things, or be used to move small pots indoors. They won’t work well for pots that need to be watered, but this coconut coir takes a while to dry out.

I also keep some little cardboard boxes in the back of my car. They work well for bringing new plants home from the nursery!

Six pots of coconut coir for seeds
Coconut coir pots for catnip seeds, placed in a cardboard box.

Moving Boxes and Their Many Uses

Did you just make a big move? Many Floridians are new to the state. If you have just made the big move, the cardboard boxes may be overwhelming your space.

We’re featured in Rent.’s 10 Ways to Get Rid of Moving Boxes article. Find out what we had to say here!

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