layered gardening

Over the winter months I have been preparing my vegetable garden by method of layering my rows. What this means is installing layers of materials to amend the soil. The materials I use are as follows. First, I install cardboard or newspaper over the grass or vegetation. This kills any weeds by blocking out all the sunlight. Also the newspaper or cardboard materials retain moisture and draw worms to the surface. They love to eat these materials. On the top of the cardboard or newspaper I spread chemical free grass clippings (no pesticides have been sprayed on the lawn), leaves (except walnut or locust), composted materials I have on hand, and horse manure from pasture fed horses. These layered materials act like a small compost pile. Finally I put wet, old, compacted straw on the piles, leaving a small space down the center of the rows. This acts as the final mulch. It holds in moisture and protects the piles. Letting this set for months allows the microbes & worms time to work though the materials and naturally improve the soil. In the spring about a month before planting I use a small hand hoe on the center to mix up the material and bring up some of the soil beneath to prep for planting.