My garden.

I put down a 2inch layer of leaves with a 1inch layer of soil on top and planted right in it should this be okay panting right in the leaves and soul mixture like I did.

Hello Pisgah, u need to create a compost area. Leaves decay slowly, esp oak, sycamore, some decay more fast. The decay brings the bugs that help the leaves turn to soil. u should be alright to plant, but it isnt the most healthy environment for the new plants. turning the soil, with green plants, not grass, is called a green manure, esp of some things like lespedezia, n doesnt need composted. There is also a way to pack in a 5 gal bucket, all the weeds u can jam into it, pour rainwater into and soak awhile, then this water is used as a tea to fertilize the plants. the used up weeds then go into the pile of compost to deteriorate, for next season planting. Most garden plants are easily grown, you just have to watch for fungus n insects. Keep the soil tamped down so burrowing creatures dont harm your plants

I would probably mix the soil and the leaves up together and maybe work that mixture into the top couple inches of soil that's underneath.

The decomposition of the leaves will tie up oxygen that should be going to the new plants. It's far better to compost leaves or any other vegetable matter before adding them to a soil mix. Since you've already planted (I love it when somebody does something first and then asks if it was all right) you might use an all-nitrogen fertilizer on your plants every other time you fertilize. We're talking a chemical. Not some "organic" potion that contains unmeasured amounts of chemicals. Everything tangible that exists is chemical, you know.

You don't mention whether the leaves were fairly new or mulched. Highly mulched leaves work best. Have you perused the compost forum on DG? One, of many, posters who uses leaf mulch very successfully is Soulgardenlove. I could read her posts for hours. In fact I have. She also has plenty of pictures that show the success she's had.

My own experience doing as you have has resulted in my plants looking pretty good for a couple of weeks and then struggling. The leaves and soil topping that initially looked like a nice volume became not much more than a thin sheet in very little time, but that was just nature doing its job. Over the fall and winter I worked the layer into the soil and the plants that survived are growing nicely in size and strength. I wish I could just prepare a number of beds like this and walk away from them until next season.

Some of the leaves where in bags next to the house severall months the otheres in a big pile. Some of the bags leaked so some where a little wet the pile was wet inside it. I did not want to mix them in with the regular soil beacuse its full of wiregrass and weeds and rocky and hard all the years of trying to remove the weeds removed all the topsoil so all that is left is hard subsoil thats red clay very poor does not have any thing for plants in it. Last year and the year before cucumbers would not even grow onions would not tomatoes was no good the plants look stunted.

The garden is 20ft by 20ft a total of 40ft it took 48 bags of topsoil just to cover the leaves with 1inch of soil and that cost me $60.00.

It may not be the best garden this year, but keep adding to it with chopped leaves and other yard and kitchen wastes, it will get better with time. I would put the black/white sections of the newspaper over it then covered by more chopped leaves if you have them, or even mowed grass (thinly) to hold in the moisture and keep the weeds down. I never till, I just keep adding layers on top.

Will the roots grow down to the native soil underneath.

Thankyou.

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This message was edited May 15, 2009 9:39 AM

The roots will grow into the native soil. How well will depend on how loose your soil is. Over time, adding compost to the area, plus the roots from your plants, will help to loosen your native soil. Also, if you have a good amount of organic material, earthworms will come. They are the best at aerating (sp?) your soil!!

Kelly

Kelly is right. One thing you might want to add if you can get it is coffee grounds or tea bags. Worms LOVE them. Just mix it in as you add organic stuff.

Thankyou. The Bermuda Grass is back this year it has started comeing up in the new soil.

Was there bermuda grass underneath the area that you made your bed and you just piled a bit of soil on top of it? Some types of grass you might be able to get away with that but not Bermuda, you need to dig it out first before you put a bed in there. Or if it wasn't under the bed but you've got Bermuda lawn around the bed, you're going to have to keep after it, it's Bermuda's nature to spread and as long as you've got a lawn full of it you'll have to spend time every year dealing with the bits that creep into your garden bed.

Yes it was I thought it was dead because it had not come up yet. This weed must come up late. Thankyou.