Has anyone every planted a Lasagna Garden?

[HunkieDorie23]

I read an article about Lasagna gardening and thought that it might be a good solution to some of my areas where I would like to start flower or herb gardens.

Has anyone ever planted one and if so how hard is it really to maintain? According to the article you just plant it and forget it. They were planting it the same day as preparing it, can you do that?

 

[boggybranch]

Go on ebay and pick up a copy of the book. I've had the book for several years but never "built" one. Thinking about trying it in one of my raised beds this year, tho. It's really a simple concept.....just need to have all the "ingredients" handy to build it all at once, for best results.

 

[lesa]

I read the book- and kind of adapted the ideas. I do like the notion of covering the grass with layers of newspaper or cardboard. Have done that and found it very useful... much better that digging up sod. I put the newspaper down and covered it with compost (purchased very cheaply from town garage.) Worked out great. Give it a try-

 

[oberhaslikid]

Yes I have the book and wanted to convert all of my garden space to raised beds 2 years ago. I was leary on whether I would get anything that year. My DH wanted to go buy dirt the concept just didnt sink in.
He brings me home bags of leaves evy Fall. Istarted with a 4x10 frame of 2x10s.Then layered wet newspaper in the bottom and cardboard.Then a layer of barn clean out which is hay straw goat poo thats rotted all winter .Then leaves and paper and chicken poo,and leaves again.
I couldnt believe the garden,I was all the time convincing my DH and I wasnt sure myself.
We added grass clippings for mulch around the plants.

 

[HunkieDorie23]

Thanks for all the help. I really need to move my strawberry bed and I want to put in kitchen herb garden and this would be great for that. My hubby is in the military and isn't always available to help with the tiller. The tiller is his "b#tch" and will only start for him. It not a strength thing because it does the same thing for my sons...string breaks. Replace the string (yes we have to do it several times a year) and the next time does the same thing ... except for my husband. Drives me crazy.

And he doesn't want to buy a new one. Pretty fishy huh. I don't care, he can have her. I can Lasagna garden. :tools

 

[lesa]

That's the spirit! Plant away and let us know how you do!

 

[ducks4you]

I didn't know that this had a name, but that's exactly what I am doing. EVERYTHING is being sown inside this year. I won't plant any seedlings in the ground until maybe the first week of April. I have been emptying my stalls all winter onto my 10 x 40 ft garden. I bed them with pine shavings and wheat straw. These are cleaned up with manure. I've finished with the 1/2 that is going to have cool weather crops, and I still have space to cover for the tomatoes. That doesn't bother me much, even so late, since I haven't even started my tomatoes from seed yet. Plus, I've been cutting down weed tree saplings that have been growing by my fencing and sticking them 3 ft. apart in the tomato side of the garden, supported by the used bedding. Most are 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick, and will be used for fencing supports. (This worked really well last year, plus you can burn them at the end of the season.)

This weekend I will begin to dig out soil to cover. I still have chicken wire fencing from last year. It got smooshed down, but I'm pulling it up to contain the new "dirt" as I go. So, I guess it's gonna be like a raised bed. I will put putting down newspaper and covering it with grass clippings for my walkways. I've been taking pictures, so I'll let you know how it goes!

Maybe you'll find this interesting:
Conservation of Fertilizers and Livestock Manure: Pollution Prevention
PDF file, page 3/7
http://www.umich.edu/~nppcpub/resources/compendia/AGRIpdfs/AGRIcons.pdf
"The fresh manure that has been stored under anaerobic conditions should be buried immediately after application. Another method of application is to inject the manure into the soil. Both ways will help prevent the loss of nitrogen by volatilization, in particular the loss of ammonium nitrogen."
"No till protects the soil from erosion and help it maintain a relatively high moisture level."

 

[HunkieDorie23]

Well that sounds great and it doesn't sound like you have to wait, you plant the same year you get the site ready. I couldn't get the site to open right, probably because it was a U of MI site. I'm sure we have a filter on the computer to stop that kind of non-sense. LOL.