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Lasagna Gardening

Submitted by themadgardener on Fri, 03/06/2020 - 20:33

*More Coming soon*

No we are not talking about trying to grow lasagna in your garden! Lasagna Gardening is an organic gardening technique that is typically no till where the gardener puts down layers of organic material that decays over time and adds nutrients to the soil. It also has the advantage of acting as a weed barrier and helping with moisture retention. Ideally you start creating the garden in the fall but it is possible to do it early spring. Use the following steps.

  1. Put down a layer of cardboard or newspaper - this will help prevent weeds.
  2. Put down a layer of "browns" - organic matter that has a low nitrogen but high carbon, for example leaves, corn stalks, loose straw, and so on. The layer should be at least 2-3 inches thick.
  3. Put down a layer of "greens" - organic matter that has a high nitrogen but low carbon, for example grass clippings, composted manure, loose hay, and so on. The layer should be at least 2-3 inches thick.
  4. Repeat steps 2-3 until you have a foot of composted material base the height of your layers on traditional composting techniques (25-30:1 - 25-30 parts carbon for every part nitrogen). For example manure, coffee grounds, and fresh grass clippings are high in nitrogen so the nitrogen layer should be a bit thinner.
  5. Keep the garden moist - just like a compost pile it should not neither too dry or two wet.
  6. It will take several weeks for the material to break down once you have a nice layer of compost you can being planting!

I use a slight variation since I often don't have a chance to get enough organic material until spring. What I do is dig trenches with the idea that I will plant in the "hills" and I fill the trenches with organic material. I put down a thin layer of organic material where I will be planting.

As the season progresses you can continue to add organic material around and between your plants. This will help maintain the garden in preparation for next year, keep the weeds from pushing through, and help with moisture retention.

When the garden is ready to be planted then all you need to do is dig a small hole for where you put the seeds or transplants and then fill it back in. If you started your garden late then it is advisable to just add some top soil!