Lazy Bed Extension (Part One) - Front Yard Island Bed - Priority #3 - March 2025

Yesterday, I shared the overview of my third priority for 2025 - expanding the front yard island bed.  These first three (Pizza Oven MVP, Renovation of the bluestone chips gravel path and this island bed) were pulled from my initial 'early look' list.  

We caught a little bit of a run of decent weather this past weekend, so I opted to start the island bed expansion/extension.   Remember....I talked about one of the most critical components to this project:  time.  I need time to smother out the turf grass.  And time for the biosolids to 'mellow' out a little bit.  

This bed started back in Summer last year when I dug up and created a kidney-bean-shaped island bed with a Korean Maple tree (Northern Glow) and a dwarf (Spring Grove) Ginkgo tree.  

In the post yesterday, I showed the size (12x12) of the extensions and looked at some potential plantings.  This bed, when complete (at more than 150ish square feet) will be one of our largest beds anywhere.  Here - below - is an approximate sizing for the bed before I started on the extension:

Like I've done over the years, I used my 'lazy garden bed extension method' that leaves the turf grass in-place.  I smother out the grass with a layer of cardboard.  Then, I wet that cardboard down to get it soaked.  Followed by the application of municipal biosolids that I top with other organic material.  Typically, I'd mix these biosolids with either compost, top soil or Moo-Nure (a manure-based soil amendment).   

This bed extension is a big project, so it will take multiple trips to the mulch pit to pick up enough biosolids.  I decided to start with a strip of cardboard that is adjacent to the driveway.  I rolled out enough cardboard, dumped-on the (municipal) biosolids and then used the hose-again to wet everything down.  

From there, I sent into the backyard and grabbed a bunch of leaf litter and piled it on top of the biosolids.  I ran my mulching mower over the leaves a couple of times to cut up the leaves into smaller pieces.  Then, using a small. hand-rake, I attempted to mix everything in together to get the biosolids and leave litter combined.  

Here, below is the initial result:  three-feet wide by twelve-or-so-feet long.  Back where the island bed exists, this now connects the bed to the driveway.  And, it covers the grass all the way down to the corner:

I wanted to mulch this in a little more, so as I was cleaning up other parts of the garden, I collected some brown material - hydrangea flowers, ornamental grass blades - and chopped them up into small pieces.  I then sprinkled that additional brown mulching material on top and mixed it in.  And, watered it again.  

In the photo below, you can see the current state of this bed extension.  You can also see the cardboard peeking out down in the corner:

Below are a couple of closer-look photos showing the state of this bed extension - and a look at the cardboard peeking out:

When I find more time, I'll go get another load and lay down the stretch that touches the sidewalk.  I'm thinking that I'll need two loads/layers on that leg (out along the sidewalk) and one more layer behind where this extension ran.  That's (at least) three days of work remaining - likely four.  

I haven't even published my 2025 to-do list, but I've already completed a portion (calling it one-quarter) of one of the bigger project items.  

Tick-tock, Jake.  Time is working against me on this.  Hoping to get this done before March 15th.  That would start the 'planting-time clock' which would put Friday, April 25 at six-full-weeks.   I've planted in these 'lazy' lasagna-style beds much sooner than six weeks, but that's what I'm aiming for this time.

Guess what else happens in exactly six weeks on Friday, April 25th?  The annual Morton Arboretum Plant Sale.  Serendipity.  Or....just good planning.