Skip to main content

An easy way to start new planting beds

Lasagna Garden



If you're looking to create a new planting bed, lasagna gardening (also known as leaf composting) is an easy way to get started—no digging required. Named after the beloved Italian pasta dish, the technique involves adding layers in the correct order. It starts with newspaper or cardboard, when you get brown and green yard and garden waste like grass clippings and shredded leaves. Microorganisms become fertile soil over time. Your lasagna garden will be ready for planting 6 to 12 months after the last layer is added.


How to Start a Lasagna Garden


While making lasagna requires a fair amount of preparation and cleanup, lasagna gardening is the opposite. No preparatory work is required, except for clearing the garden, which quickly removes rocks and debris. You don't have to worry about tilling or turning the soil. (Turning the soil with a shovel to speed up the composting process for a couple of months is welcome, but not required.)


When choosing a location for your lasagna garden, consider the amount of sunlight that reaches the plot and what you want to grow in the bed. Vegetables and herbs grow best in 8 hours of direct sunlight per day. Flowering plants thrive in bright sunlight, at least 6 hours a day.


When to Make a Lasagna Garden



Fall is the best time to start your lasagna garden, as you can use frost and freeze cycles to help break up the layers. Additionally, rain or snow during colder months can help keep layers moist, which encourages them to break down more quickly. However, you can start making sheet compost any time you have the materials.


Add layers of organic matter


Lasagna gardens are all about the layers. Newspaper or cardboard forms the base to cover existing grass and prevent weeds (4 to 6 layers of newspaper or cardboard). Newspaper or cardboard will stop its growth and block light from reaching the plants below. Soak the paper layer thoroughly to start the decomposition and help it stay put.


Just as quality ingredients affect the finished taste of your favorite food, the best compost ingredients create the most nutrient-rich garden soil. Top the paper or cardboard base with a 2-inch layer of carbon-rich "brown" material such as chopped leaves, straw, sawdust, wood ash, wood chips and pine needles. If the material is cut too small or too much, it will deteriorate quickly.


Add a 2-inch layer of "green" on top of the brown. Components of this layer are grass clippings, kitchen scraps from fruits and vegetables, well-rotted horse or cow manure, coffee grounds, and garden trimmings. The point is that the material has moisture in it, rather than being dry and mushy like the brown stuff.


Make your new bed 18 inches to 3 feet high by layering 2 inches of green layers on top of 2 inches of brown layers. As the material decomposes, it shrinks little by little. For a finished edge, ring your lasagna garden with stones or bricks. If you want to create a raised bed in the space, add sturdy boards around your shelves.


How long does a lasagna garden take?



It can take up to a year for microbes and earthworms to work their way through layers of lasagna to turn organic debris into nutrient-rich soil. The exact time depends on many factors, including the amount of composted waste, temperature and humidity. But the good news is, all you have to do is sit back and wait.


A lasagna garden is ready to be planted when compostable materials are unrecognizable. Leaves, grass clippings, and elements all look like loose black-brown soil, ready for your raking. Now you can plant vegetables, herbs and flowers to your heart's content.

Labels:
Location: United States

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

10 Red Flowers for Big, Bold Color in Your Garden

Red flowers are a great way to draw attention Add a variety of eye-catching red flowers to your garden, and you’ll be delighted with the gorgeous color they add to your landscape. Red flowers are a great way to draw attention to a garden. Planting all red flowers can practically stop traffic! Red flowers, especially red roses, symbolize love, but scarlet flowers can symbolize strength, family bonds, good luck, protection, and prosperity, so adding this bold hue can bring many good things to your garden beyond beauty. A bouquet of freshly cut red flowers will brighten up a kitchen table or master bedroom nightstand in a way that no other color of flower can. Red flowers pair beautifully with orange, yellow, and white flowers. Read on to learn about some of our favorites to add to your garden. We’ve got everything you need to know to grow them and add color to your landscape. 1. Zinnia One of the best annual cut flowers, zinnias bloom in a wide range of colors. They don’t min...
Post a Comment
Read more

7 houseplants feature bold textures

 Maximal Houseplants for a Lush Indoor Jungle Maximalists embrace a diverse collection, lots of color and texture, and a sense of whimsy. The right houseplants can be key to completing a maximalist look. Think tall plants with big, dramatic leaves and twining vines that can climb a shelf or climb out of a container. There’s more to a maximalist look than a minimalist, so leave the single statement plant to the minimalists and Swedish Death Cleaners and opt for the following multi-stemmed plants to elevate your decor. 1. Monstera Monstera (Monstera deliciosa) has been starring in Instagram’s indoor jungles for years. The large, spiky leaves on a mature plant almost exude a maximalist vibe. Train this climbing plant to grow as a mossy pillar or, for more drama, up a wall or banister. It can grow up to 15 feet tall indoors. In its native Mexico or anywhere in hardiness zone 10 and above, the monstera can grow up to 60 feet tall. Surrounding it are smaller plants with a va...
Post a Comment
Read more

5 Houseplants to Bring Good Luck to Your Home

Discover the meaning behind them, plus care tips to help them thrive Did you know that you can up your expressive game with lucky houseplants? Some houseplants have historically been considered lucky in different cultures and practices, which is why many people continue to choose them for their homes. Just like the lucky plants you grow in your yard, different houseplants symbolize different things and can be used in different ways to apply their meanings. For example, feng shui plants are used to bring positive energy to interiors and can be placed in specific areas of the home to reap their benefits. Here, we take a look at the houseplants that are considered the luckiest and why this happens. Plus, a plant expert shares tips on growing them successfully 1. Chinese Money Plant You can easily grow a Chinese money plant. They are sun-loving houseplants with succulent, round leaves that resemble coins. In Chinese culture, these plants are associated with wealth and prosperi...
Post a Comment
Read more