I Love Lasagna Gardening!! Okay, now that I got that out there, let me explain to you how to do it. I will first have to admit that I am somewhat of a lazy gardener, and also that I am extremely frugal and do not have much money or time to put into something that I greatly enjoy. I was on a mission to find out how I could create wonderful garden beds for the least amount of money and time. At a used book store, I came across the book, Lasagna Gardening by Patricia Lanzer. I lapped up every word and began thinking about my own yard. When we purchased the house, there had been a garden, but it had been covered with sod. I was determined to reclaim the original garden spot and make it my own!
My first task was to collect large amounts of cardboard from the hospital that I work at. After painstakingly removing all of the tape, I began laying the cardboard out on the grass, leaving no spaces for weeds to sneak up through. I began this project in the fall to leave all winter for things to happen. After laying out the cardboard, I began piling grass clippings and leaves on top of the cardboard. I also purchased 10 bales of 3.8 cubic feet sphagnum peat moss because our soil has so much clay. In addition, my husband and I hauled a truckload of composted manure from a coworkers horses and spread that out as well to add nutrients. The finished product was pretty impressive. I spent $90 on peat moss, and everything else was free.
In the Spring, we added straw to the walkways and defined each bed to be separated with rows. I based my design on the wide row system explained in the Joy of Gardening by Dick Raymond. My rows were going to be wide so that I could maximize space and productivity.
In the Spring, when it was time for planting, I made sure to add a healthy dose of fish emulsion to each spot as I planted. I did not add as much as the book recommended- she recommends at least 18″ of material for the raised bed lasagna gardening idea. I had to work with the material that I had for free, however, so each year I add more grass clippings, more leaves, and straw. This method is a no-till method, which also appeals to my lazy factor. I occasionally have to mix the clay and soil a little bit, but the one year that we did till a little bit was a disaster and we had weed central to contend with. The last thing that we did was add a short fence to deter bunny rabbits as well as the dog. I have since added a row and filled in the area by the back fence to plant blueberry bushes.
As you can see in the above picture, I initially had grass around the beds, which is now being removed by the addition of more cardboard and straw. it looked nice initially, but became a huge hassle for mowing and also gave me more weed problems. I now have the entire area inside the fence as a grass-free zone! We also added a small amount of sand last year to mix in with the clay. I think this was a good idea, but now have thistles sprouting up in the garden……. Have I mentioned that I have a serious issue with weeds? I will save that for another post!! Good luck with your lasagna- I am convinced that it is the best way to create new garden space!
Seed to Salad
Feb 01, 2012 @ 12:06:26
Almost bought that book. I skimmed through it and it looked like it had great ideas.
Megan
Feb 01, 2012 @ 19:57:41
It is a good book- I could have probably done okay getting it at the library- but I really like the idea- especially since the house we bought had no garden area and LOTS of grass. It was a good way to get started without a huge initial investment. I would love to do raised beds, but until then, this is great!