covering the plot and snow

[STHLMgreen]

I was thinking of covering a few areas on the plot with a layer of cardboard and then leaves or straw and whatever else I can find.

Now this is my first season gardening in a place where it snows, so how will snow affect how the cardboard will decompose? The winters can be pretty long, and if Spring comes late it could snow all the way into April. I know everything won't rot down by the time the snow comes. Does that mean everything will be a sloppy mess when the snow melts?

[STHLMgreen]

[supersprout]

That's a really good question!
I'll be covering the growing areas with an organic layer, aiming to have 8" sat on the beds for the winter - though a lot of the beds will have stuff growing in them over winter too, so e.g. the parsnips will be covered in straw so's I can dig them up in the frost.
That should suppress the weeds, plus I'm expecting the worms to drag down the organic matter into the soil slowly but surely even during some of the winter months, so I won't be using cardboard (except for loo rolls which are torn up and added to the mulch bin).
When the snow melts, it will just drip slowly through your mulch as it thaws, so the mulch should look the same as after rain. I'm sure your cardboard will be soggy after a few months, certainly enough to dib holes in for seedlings. You shouldn't need to dig at all unless you want to.
There is one drawback to the heavy mulching over winter - mulched beds stay colder than unmulched, for longer. So you might want to cover with e.g. black plastic sheeting once the sunshine starts, or pull the mulch aside for a few weeks in the spring where you want to plant early :)

[Curryandchips]

I have not used cardboard, but have used newspapers, which probably amount to the same thing. Where I had laid a single sheet or perhaps two, the paper disappeared very quickly, but where I had laid a whole newspaper, it took a full year to be consumed. However, that doesnt mean that you can't plant through the material, just as supersprout has said. I agree with supersprout on the delayed warming of soil when insulated with mulch, so for my only early crop - broad beans - I will be starting these in pots (my preferred method anyway) and planting out in early April.

Hope these comments assist ...

[STHLMgreen]

Hmmm thanks for giving me something to think about.

I like the idea but I'm unsure about the ground being colder. Not sure how long that would delay regular planting. -Even a week can be a lot in a short growing season.

Thanks though. Anyone else layered the ground and had snow?