How to prep your garden with cardboard

By Heifer International
Last Updated: May 16, 2025

Why use cardboard in a garden? It’s a great mulch, and prevents weeds from sprouting. Decomposing cardboard adds organic matter to the soil, improving your garden’s drainage and boosting nutrient levels. Earthworms flock to the dark, moist, safe habitat cardboard provides, leaving behind a nutrient-rich layer of worm castings–free fertilizer! A layer of cardboard left in place for a season smothers out grass and weeds, creating a ready-made garden plot, no tilling required. It’s free, and you can feel great about reusing a product that would otherwise go to waste.