Cardboard and mulching

 This weekend my sis and I went dumpster diving for cardboard boxes. We went to our local dump and loaded up our truck with cardboard to put between the rows in our raised pepper beds.

After we got back, we cut the cardboard into strips that fit in the rows and then topped it with mulch.

I think in addition to the fact that it looks good, the cardboard and mulch will hold the moisture in and keep the ground from getting quite so hot in the blazing summer sun. The mulch will also prevent weeds from coming up between rows. That means no tilling and the bad insects won't be able to hide in the weeds. The weeds won't take the nourishment from the soil and the mulch will eventually add compost to the soil.
 

The cardboard, over time will turn into compost, too and best of all, we shouldn't have to pull weeds or till in this area all summer. The only place we might need to till before next year would be if we decide to plant something after the peppers are done at the end of the summer.

I really hope it works for us. So far, so good because it really looks just like we hoped it would.

I will say that it has been hard work to get things to this point. If we get the benefits I expect it will be well worth it in time saved. I think weeding takes roughly half the time of mulching but we have to weed periodically during the season. If we don't have to worry about weeding, there should be less work in the end.