By Kevin Pride. Now’s the time to take advantage of the sizzling summer heat. By fall, you’ll have a healthy, prepped canvas for your WaterSaver plants. Have you heard about SAWS’ pause, prep then plant program? If you’ve already hit pause, you might be wondering how to prep your WaterSaver landscape bed and where to begin.

Start by selecting the area in your yard where the new garden will go. Whether you’re dealing with healthy sod, weedy forbs or a mix of both, the first step is to stop watering. Then you’ll need to clear the space — for a tidy aesthetic, eliminating existing vegetation is usually preferred.

Professional landscapers make this look easy. They’ll often mow or trim the plants low, roll out landscape fabric, cut it to fit the bed, staple it down, install a border, lay out the plants and then mulch and water everything in.

But don’t be intimidated. You can absolutely do an even better job yourself! In fact, you have one advantage the pros don’t have: time. While landscape crews need to work swiftly, you have the whole summer to prep your garden bed at your own pace.

Step 1: Choose your space

Depending on your garden goals and limitations, the location will be very important. Are you looking to get rid of thirsty grass so you can remove costly irrigation and receive a rebate? Areas where grass has a hard time without TLC is a great place to start. Placing the bed in full sun is a good choice as long as the right plants are selected. Full shade beds are also in high demand due to our plentiful, shade-making live oaks. Handheld watering is the preferred method for the establishment phase so make sure the garden will be accessible to you and your hose.

Step 2: Create your design

Once you’ve picked the spot, sketch a rough layout of your design. It can be anything from a mental picture to a detailed blueprint—whatever helps guide your vision.

Step 3: Prep the site

Forget petroleum-based landscape fabric and try sheet mulching with cardboard instead. It’s simple and biodegradable.

Trim down existing plant material to the ground with a string trimmer or mower.

Lay out plain cardboard (remove all plastic stickers and tape). Overlap the edges to block out light and prevent weeds from slipping through.

Secure the cardboard with staples every 5-10 feet or weighing it down with rocks or bricks.

Cover with a few inches of mulch (coarse hardwood mulch, leaf litter, or a combination of both will work beautifully).

Install a border to define the space. Natural limestone is a budget-friendly and locally abundant choice in San Antonio. Then, you wait.

Over the next few months, the mulch will begin to decompose, enriching the soil underneath. The cardboard will help prevent weeds from sprouting. By fall, you’ll have a healthy, prepped canvas for your WaterSaver plants — just in time for October planting. (Remember to apply for your WaterSaver Landscape Coupon before you begin planting!)

Why skip landscape fabric?

Landscape fabric might look clean and professional at first, but it has long-term drawbacks, including:

• Short-term effectiveness: It may stop weeds temporarily, but over time weeds will sprout on top of the mulch or push through.
•  Inhibits soil health: Most landscape fabric is plastic or polypropylene, which doesn’t break down. It prevents water and air from reaching plant roots and can smother beneficial soil organisms.
• Hard to remove: Once it starts settling in, it becomes tangled with roots and a hassle to deal with.

Cardboard, on the other hand, is compostable and soil-friendly. As it decomposes, it contributes soil organic carbon, which improves the soil’s ability to absorb and retain water — essential for plant health in a WaterSaver landscape.

So take your time this summer. Let the sun and soil microbes do the work while you prepare a long-lasting, low-maintenance garden. By fall, you will have a blank canvas to paint your landscape with something beautiful — and sustainable.

Kevin Pride is a SAWS Conservation Field Investigator and a self-proclaimed nature boy. He has a background in restoration ecology and is zealous about native plant landscapes that use zero irrigation. Kevin spends his free time deep underground surveying caves or hiking barefoot with his daughter, Daisy, and their dog.