'Lasagna Gardening' Explained!

This method is also known as sheet composting, and is a good one to use if you are daunted by the thought of hand digging your garden. Lasagna gardening is a no till method that is just as effective as using conventional gardening methods. It is less labor intensive and generally is easier to care for once your garden is planted.

The idea behind lasagna gardening is to layer organic materials in order to kill the sod beneath it without tilling, and to provide a well draining, nutrient rich growing medium for your plants. The best time to build a lasagna garden is in the fall although it can be done any time of the year. Fall is a good time because you are more likely to have more of the materials on hand that you will need to create all of your layers.

You can start by staking out the garden space. If you want a bed that you can reach into both sides, it is best to start with a long narrow garden. This allows you to plant vegetables more closely together without making rows. It also is nice that you are not trampling on the garden and are not compacting soil around plants. A five foot by twenty foot plot is a good place to start.

The first layer of the lasagna garden is made using layers of newspaper or corrugated cardboard. This is the layer that will kill the sod and weeds beneath without having to dig. If using newspaper, layer the paper at least three pages thick. Wet the material after putting down. This will keep materials in place, and will start the breakdown process sooner.

After laying the base for the garden, all you have to do is begin to layer organic materials. These are generally any materials that could be thrown into your compost pile, since you are basically composting in place in the garden. You should layer more brown materials than green, or more carbon than nitrogen. Brown materials include peat moss, sawdust, shredded newspaper, and fall leaves. Shredding leaves before using will make them easier to break down. Green materials include grass clippings and manure. At the end of the layering process, you want your bed to be 18 to 24 inches high. It will begin to breakdown in a month or so.

Plant as you would in any garden, but remember that plants can grow closer together due to the growing medium. All you need to do to maintain your lasagna garden is to place mulch around the plants as you normally would. The mulch will break down into the soil, and create another layer. When fall rolls around, clear the bed of debris, and add a few more layers of compostable materials. Your garden will just improve year after year.