Lasagna GardeningOne of the best things about this organic gardening method is how easy it is to do. It does not require digging and tilling of the soil. Nor does it have to remove existing weeds and sod. The first layer of sheet composting composes of ‘brown’ corrugated cardboard. It could also be alternated with three layers of newspaper directly laid on top of the area selected for lasagna gardening or on top of the weeds and sod. To start the decomposition, this layer should be wet by watering it. The weeds and sod will be broken down swiftly because they will be stifled by the cardboard or newspaper and the materials that will be subsequently added on top of them. The brown layer should be the first layer because it provides a dark and moist area where earthworm will be attracted.
So, among the materials you can add are grass clipping, leaves, coffee grounds, rotten and scraps of fruits and vegetables, tea leaves and tea bags, manure, weeds, pine needles, seaweeds, peat moss, trimmings of the garden. Sheet composting is built in such a way that the brown layer of newspaper, fallen dried leaves, peat and pine needles is alternated with a green layer of vegetable wastes, grass clippings and garden trimmings. The brown layers must be twice as deep as the green layers. The resulting appearance of the sheet composting is a two-foot tall layered bed. In just short weeks, you will be amused by how fast it shrinks. Organic gardening can be done at any time of the year. However, for optimal results, gardeners choose the Fall season for this method of gardening. Fall is the time when the organic materials such as fallen leaves and yard scraps are abundant. The lasagna garden can sit and break down by winter. When spring comes, the garden will be ready for planting. This page is listed under Garden Advice |