Magic Mounds and Carpets
There are two great things about the magic mound: (a) it thrives on slow-rotting material such as hedge clippings and woody brassica stems; (b) its shape physically increases the surface area of usable ground. These qualities make it especially attractive for a small garden. Also, once built, the mound needs no more digging, making it an even more attractive proposition.
Magic mounds
The materials and tools
Materials:
- slow-composting materials
- turfs
- dead leaves
- rough compost
- fine compost
Tools:
- barrow
- spade
- rake
- watering can
Site preparation
As with most vegetable beds in high latitudes, the mound should run in a north-south direction.
Dig a trench one spit deep and about 5 ft (1.5 m) wide, piling soil along both sides as you go. In the centre of this trench, dig a second one-spit trench 20in (50cm) wide, leaving a ledge at each end about the same width.
Filling and building
Pile roughly chopped tough plant material into the central trench, heaping it tip to ground level. Add a little soil.
Then, pack a layer of turfs, grass-side down, completely covering the rough material. Water this layer and mould and pat it into a smooth shape.
Next add a layer of leaves, mixed with more dug-out soil and sprinkled with more water. Lay smaller leaves first and use big ones for topping.
After that, add the first compost layer. Use half-rotted material and green manure; add more dug-out soil as you go. By now, the outer trench should be nearly filled.
Finally, add a layer 3–5 in. (7–20 cm) of rich, finished compost.
Caution
If you import some of the components from neighbours or other sources. be alert to the risk of contamination with herbicides or pesticides. Ensure that nothing of this sort gets into your mound; such contaminants, at best inhibit the activities of vital micro-organisms; at worst they can destroy the entire project.
Planting
The mound is unsuitable for crops that need to be dug out (such is obvious!). Otherwise, you can treat it as a normal vegetable patch.
Life cycle
As the components decompose, the mound will gradually sink until, after 4–5 years, it becomes almost flat. You may now use it as the basis for a conventional raised bed. Alternatively, you may begin another mound elsewhere.
Carpet mulch
You may also use a lump of large, hard-to-compost material as a carpet mulch.
The principle of mulching is to reclaim ground. It can be extended to using an old carpet, laid down on top of a patch of weedy ground. The carpet allows rain and air to pass through, and provides warm, moist cover for earthworms, but it smothers unwanted weeds.
A completely natural carpet will rot completely within two years (sometimes less), leaving worm-rich soil and providing ideal growing conditions. Laying newspaper or cardboard under the carpet can provide longer-term cover and can give even better results.
Semi-synthetic carpet is problematic. It doesn't rot completely, and it may not be sufficiently permeable. However, you can use it for through-planting, just as you can use black plastic or cardboard.
