How best to keep a fallow SFG bed

Due to a big personal project this southern summer and autumn my 2-year-old raised SFG vege bed is going to have to be fallow until this time next year.  I have a couple of questions as to how best to keep it.

1.  Stopping the MM from drying out.  Currently I have a few layers of cardboard sitting underneath the gridlines (tent guy ropes).  I folded it and cut the corners so it actually goes down the inside of the bed's sides, for about an inch.  The plan was to check it say every couple of weeks and give it a good hosing, then put the cardboard back.  But I've been wondering if this is the best solution?  The cardboard stops most of the evaporation, but it also prevents most of the rain water from getting in.  I have some 25-30% shadecloth and I was thinking perhaps better might be to lay down some number of layers of this instead of the cardboard, maybe 3 or even 4?  The hope being that it would also stop evaporation but would allow rainwater through.  But then, the shadecloth is dark green and thus will hold more heat than the cardboard.  So maybe this isn't such a great idea after all?

2.  Keeping the worms happy.  The raised bed is sitting on an acrylic panel, to prevent invasion by tree roots.  This and the geotextile bed liner means that my worms are a captive population, and I don't want them to starve! (I read somewhere that worms need regular additions of organic material.)  Since I won't be growing anything in the bed for 12 months I haven't added any compost to it this spring.  I'm wondering if I should dig some vege scraps in from time to time?  Or do something else to give them food to be going on with?  Or will they be OK?

Many thanks as always

Does it get cold where you are?  I assume not.  If the worms won’t freeze, I’d say you have to feed them some organic material.  Coffee grounds are good, maybe some kitchen scraps?  

I am not sure what to recommend regarding your bed lying inactive.  Up here, my beds go inactive every winter.  I don’t do anything to them.  But in your case, drying out would be bad for the bed/MM/worms!  Can you mulch heavily?

Kiwi,  It is a hard balance between putting beds to sleep and allowing both water and gases to enter and escape.  I had to use large sheets of cardboard to prevent neighboring kitties from using my wood chips in the general garden.  I cut holes for gas exchange and thought it would also allow some rain to get through and excess water to evaporate. When I water this orange tree, I stick the hose under the cardboard.  I will tell you the sudden population of new kitties in the neighborhood has taken some of the joy out of gardening.

Probably the most common winter (cold) cover for veggie beds is a thick layer of straw or dry fall leaves.  It allows rain in and gas exchange. In the summer, the straw slows evaporation but still allows gas exchange.

I have table top beds so the worms are captive.  I mix in compost and cover for winter.  Come spring, there are worms near the surface.  I use a taut bird net over the veggie beds for winter to keep out the kitties.  There is free exchange of oxygen and the worms have organic matter.  I used to have 3" PVC worm tubes for feeding the little red wigglers (eisenia fetida) kitchen trimmings.

I would not recommend multiple layers of weed fabric as it would block water and gas exchange. I hope this gives you ideas to work with.

Cardboard with holes.


Tight bird netting over winter beds.  I added straw under the nets after I got them all cut and the screws in the bed to secure the nets..  


For summer planting, I needed something with bigger holes so I could plant the seedling starts.  This is what I came up with - orange caution fencing.

Thank you both so much for this!  I thought I was being so smart with my cardboard cover, but I'm really glad I checked it out here  

I've just been looking at straw -- most hits are coming up with pea straw, which looks good for the worms.  There was also one place that has barley straw (they sell it for pet bedding) -- would that also be good enough?

I'm assuming a layer of say a couple of inches would be enough?  Note, this is for summer and autumn -- for the winter I'll do my usual of sowing alyssum as a cover crop, and hoping the rains will be sufficient while I'm in my winter home.  Over summer our rains can be pretty few and far between, but I'm here so I can water say weekly, does that sound like a good plan?

I had to look up pea straw and barley straw. They both look good to use as mulch as long as they don't have any additives, which they shouldn't.

Thanks so much, sanderson   By "additives", I assume you mean stuff like herbicides?  If so, then so long as I get stuff that's marketed as a mulch the risk should be pretty low???  Or is there some other issue I need to be aware of?

I've just purchased a 2000watt electric hot air blower gun ) UK LIDL £ 19.00 ) on a walking stick /wand to kill living cells in plants as I'm having to let a few things slide due to increasing bad health and disabilities . 

The gun hits a max of 650 oC when it reaches temperature 30 seconds or so later.   It comes with a variety of end nozzles from paint softening , weed killing BBQ lighting  etc. . It's very lightweight too  ,at around five pounds , it  comes with a 12 foot plugged mains power cable.

 
 The idea is for me to let weeds grow a few inches tall in the set aside beds then warm them up for a few seconds ( not to incinerate them ) so as to destroy the cell structure of the weed /plants & then a week or so later they will show signs of dying off without producing seeds , 
This can be left to rot on the bed and as soon as new growth gets to three or four inches tall  say three or four months treat it again . a
After a few of these chemical free treatments the beds will be nigh on weed free save for some new air borne seed weeds as the original roots won't get the energy they need.  They too will rot in the ground and give the worms and future plants nourishment .

Full instructions are contained in the little handbook ..it well worth reading it and keeping it in a safe place . 

Hopefully a few minutes a week , " Warming the weeds " should work as a total weed killer ,  but it can't be done if it is raining in case of getting electrocuted .

  Wow, it's amazing what's around these days, huh?!  I'd never have thought of a heat gun for weeding!!!!

sanderson wrote:I had to look up pea straw and barley straw.  They both look good to use as mulch as long as they don't have any additives, which they shouldn't.  

I'm not sure what additives I was referring to. But some of the adds mentioned using one of the straws for ponds.

sanderson wrote:

sanderson wrote:I had to look up pea straw and barley straw.  They both look good to use as mulch as long as they don't have any additives, which they shouldn't.  

I'm not sure what additives I was referring to.   But some of the adds mentioned using one of the straws for ponds.

   I've organised a bale of this -- looks like it should be fine.  Thanks as ever, sanderson