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A Country Living report describes five ways gardeners can reuse plain, untreated cardboard: cover weeds, prepare soil, lay a temporary path, line compost heaps and make collars around brassicas. The advice is to remove tape and staples, avoid coated or contaminated boxes, and use only a few overlapping sheets so water can pass through.
Country Living has outlined five ways to reuse cardboard in gardens, including covering weeds, making a mulched path and adding shredded pieces to compost. The report, which cites gardening and packaging professionals, recommends plain, minimally printed cardboard and warns against using boxes with coatings, contamination or leftover packaging materials.
For weed suppression, the report says to clear large weeds, stones and thick stems, then lay overlapping cardboard over the soil and wet it so it stays in place. Cover the sheets with compost, leaves, bark or another organic mulch. Gardening professional Loren Taylor says autumn can be a suitable time to cover an empty bed: the cardboard has time to soften before spring, while the soil is still warm and weed growth is slowing.
The other suggested uses are preparing a new bed, covering a garden path with cardboard and woodchip or bark, and lining open-sided compost heaps so material does not fall through. Crumpled or shredded cardboard can also supply carbon-rich “browns” for compost. For brassicas, the report describes cutting a 6- to 8-inch-wide collar and placing it around the plant base to help deter cabbage root fly; stones can hold it down in windy spots.
Before using a box, remove tape, labels, staples and plastic. Tom Schott, managing director of Schott Packaging, advises against glossy, laminated, waxed or heavily coated cardboard, which is made to behave differently around moisture and may not break down like ordinary cardboard. The report also says not to use packaging that may have been exposed to oil, chemicals or other substances.
Reusing Boxes Across Garden Tasks
The advice gives gardeners several ways to reuse suitable household packaging instead of putting it straight into the recycling stream. A cardboard layer can serve as a temporary weed barrier or path base, while smaller pieces can become a compost ingredient. These are practical options for preparing beds and managing garden waste, though the report does not quantify their effectiveness or compare them with other methods.
Choosing the material carefully matters because cardboard is placed directly on soil or near plants. Uncoated, uncontaminated boxes are the report’s preferred choice; materials with unknown residues should be kept out of the garden. Used appropriately, cardboard can break down over time, but excessive layers may impede water movement.
garden weed suppression cardboard sheets
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Why Autumn Suits Bed Covering
The report singles out autumn for covering empty beds. Taylor says the season combines warm soil and slowing weed growth, leaving the material several months to soften ahead of spring. This is presented as professional advice, not a guarantee that every weed will be controlled or that cardboard will fully decompose by a particular date.
The underlying method is to block light by covering the soil, with mulch holding the cardboard in place. The report also frames this approach as a way to prepare a new flower or vegetable bed with less digging. Its recommendations focus on plain brown shipping cardboard; they do not apply indiscriminately to all packaging.
“A few overlapping sheets are usually enough.”
— Loren Taylor, owner of Outdoor Fountains Pro, quoted by Country Living
Limits of the Cardboard Advice
The report does not specify how quickly different cardboard types break down, how thick a layer should be in every soil or climate, or how reliably a collar reduces cabbage root fly damage. It presents these uses as practical suggestions rather than results from a comparative trial. Local conditions and the packaging itself will affect how well each method works.
It is also not clear from the report whether printed cardboard beyond minimal printing is appropriate in every case. Its clearest guidance is to avoid coated or potentially contaminated boxes and, when the contents or history of a box are unknown, use the appropriate recycling route instead.
Check Boxes Before Garden Use
Gardeners following the advice can start by sorting clean, plain boxes and removing tape, labels, plastic and staples. For an empty bed, use a few overlapping sheets, wet them and add an organic mulch; check the covered area over time to see whether the cardboard is breaking down and whether water is reaching the soil.
For compost, shred or crumple suitable cardboard and add it alongside other materials. For brassica collars, keep the cardboard around the plant base rather than against stems, and weigh it down if needed. Do not use boxes with suspected chemical or oil contamination; the report says to recycle such packaging through the appropriate waste stream.
Key Questions
What kind of cardboard is suitable for garden use?
The report recommends plain brown cardboard with minimal printing. Remove tape, labels, staples and plastic first. Avoid glossy, laminated, waxed or heavily coated boxes, as well as packaging that may be contaminated.
How can cardboard help suppress weeds?
Clear large weeds and debris, lay overlapping sheets over the soil, wet them, then cover them with compost, leaves, bark or another organic mulch. The sheets block light and gradually break down.
Can cardboard go in a compost heap?
Yes. The report suggests using crumpled or shredded plain cardboard as a carbon-rich “browns” ingredient. It can also line open-sided heaps to stop compost materials falling through.
How wide should a cardboard collar for brassicas be?
The report recommends a collar 6 to 8 inches wide, with a slit cut to fit around the plant base. It is intended to help deter cabbage root fly; the report does not give a measured effectiveness rate.
What should gardeners avoid when laying cardboard?
Avoid thick piles and do not place cardboard directly against tree trunks or plant stems. The report says heavy layers can slow water movement and take too long to break down. Do not use packaging with unknown or suspected contamination.
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