!["[It] is great at suppressing weeds, encouraging worms, and as it's a brown material, it breaks down really well too."](https://www.thecooldown.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/cardboard-gardening-image.jpg?w=1920&h=800)
Now that autumn weather has arrived, many gardeners are looking for ways to prep their empty garden beds for next spring. With this easy hack, you can repurpose cardboard boxes and prepare your garden for healthy new growth when the warm weather returns.
The scoop
Instagrammer and allotment gardening expert Emma (@emmasallotmentdiaries) shared a video of her easy hack for prepping your garden once your crops are finished for the year.
She begins the video by sharing that at this time of year, she finds it helpful to cover her garden beds that are finished with a layer of cardboard.
"Cardboard is great at suppressing weeds, encouraging worms, and as it's a brown material, it breaks down really well too," Emma wrote. Cardboard is an eco-friendly alternative to using plastic ground sheets.
She advises using brown matte cardboard, like what you often get with shipping boxes. It's also important to remove the labels and tape before placing the cardboard on the ground.
Once the cardboard has started to break down, Emma noted she'll cover it with some organic material such as manure, leafmould, or compost.
Emma wrote: "Then it'll be ready for [springtime] planting!"
How it's working
Many people who don't have access to land at their homes for gardening rent an allotment. With all the benefits of gardening, paying the rental fee is worth it.
Gardening is great physical exercise, and it can improve mental health. Many people find it's a source of stress relief and provides a mood boost.
Growing your own food offers even more benefits. Gardening provides better-tasting produce and saves gardeners money on food they'd otherwise have to buy at a grocery store. Gardeners who grow fruits and vegetables are also healthier since they eat a more fiber-rich diet.
Gardening is advantageous for the environment, too, since plants improve air quality, and growing your own produce cuts down on pollution created by food shipping.
What people are saying
Other Instagrammers were excited to try the cardboard gardening hack. One user wrote: "It's such a great way to reuse cardboard."
Another user commented: "I've been doing this too!"
"This is genius!" another Instagrammer wrote.
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