Lasagna Gardening: It’s Not Just for Dinner Anymore
By Vanessa Richins
One gardening method that works very well for urban gardens is lasagna gardening.
I’m not talking about growing tomatoes, oregano and basil together (as heavenly as that sounds right now).
Lasagna gardening, rather, is a bed preparation technique that requires no tilling or digging. You won’t need a separate compost bin, either. It can also be used for containers.
The name lasagna gardening refers to the layering technique used to build up the bed. First, you select the area where you want to construct the bed. If there’s sod or weeds, they don’t need to be removed.
Next, you spread a thick material like layers of newspaper or flat cardboard over the plot. This will kill any grass or weeds underneath.
Follow this with a layer of peat moss or coir(coconut fibers), about 2-3″ thick. After this comes a layer of organic material 4-6″ thick. You want to have a mixture of carbon-rich matter and nitrogen-rich matter, at about a 25:1 ratio. Common carbon-rich materials include leaves, newspaper, cardboard pieces, and dryer lint. For nitrogen, use grass clippings, algae, non-invasive weeds, and manure.
Continue layering between peat/coir and organic materials until the entire plot is 18-24″ high. Once this is finished, you can leave it to start decomposing if you like, but you are able to plant immediately also. All you have to do is push the layers aside to plant, then cover when finished. As the plants grow, the materials will decompose, producing nutrient-rich compost for your plants.
If you want to make it decompose even faster, add in some earthworms. You can also buy special composting worms from garden supply stores and websites.
Lasagna gardening is a great way for those with limited space to create rich soil.
Has anyone ever tried it in their own garden?
Let me know.
April 28th, 2008 at 7:48 am
I need to give this technique a try. Been reading about it quite a bit lately.
April 28th, 2008 at 11:03 am
When I moved into my house last year there were long beds of ivy that I wanted for planting cutting flowers. I used the lasagna method starting with cardboard boxes that came from furniture shipments to smother the ivy. A year later I have a robust garden bed growing there!
April 28th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
It absolutely works, and it is a great alternative to people who just can’t seem to fathom waiting weeks and months for traditional composting methods to work their magic.
Don’t forget to toss in your coffee grounds!
April 30th, 2008 at 11:02 am
He Reggie and all you good writers, I am glad to see this. It will be so useful to a lot of readers, and if it is permissible for me to do so it will be lots of help to this old man when he writes his journal, DAD
April 30th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
DAD,
Of course, Feel free to share with your readers. We like to share with abandon here!
So glad you found this info to be helpful.
Best,
-reg
May 1st, 2008 at 5:17 am
Glad to see some of you have tried this too. We are thinking of using this at our new house when planting some cold-hardy bamboo…that can spread like nothing else.
Happy lasagna gardening to all!
May 1st, 2008 at 9:42 pm
I layered my small bed in March. I was going to leave it to do its thing until fall, but I think I may go ahead and transplant my cucumbers there.