lasagna gardenig

any suggestions from soneone who has done it i already bought the book but need some hands on advice thanks peggy

I have a friend who is starting this and loves it. She has had great results, but, then again, she didn't do a regular bed to compare results, and sometimes other things can affect it.

Personally, I don't care to use the corrugated cardboard, because of the glue. I don't want any near what I eat. Same with the newspaper. My mom works for a recycling center, and says newspaper does not decompose well. Which makes it a great weed barrier, but I still prefer to leave it out.

I started some layers of kitchen compost on bare spots, and covered them for the winter with old shower curtains. And I have a large hole which I am (slowly) filling with hot material to use next year.

There is a book which my friend swears by, you might could find it on sale at http://www.alibris.com

And if you want to come to Fritch, she is going to teach a class on Lasagna Gardening. When my friend likes something, she wants to teach EVERYONE. Too bad I can't get her to come to DG...

I tried it one year without much success. I should try again, though, because some of the problems I encountered (fire ants, Johnson grass stolons) had little to do with the basic technique. The newspaper was slow to disintegrate and wicked moisture away from the plants. I did not use cardboard. There are many good suggestions in the book, however, that can be adapted to one's local conditions. Yuska

My lasagna beds have been great. My perennials have gown substantially, more than perennials I have had in past non-lasagna gardens.

I use both cardboard and newspaper as a weed barrier. I also sometimes use shredded newspaper as a carbon layer. The ink on newspaper is soy-based, so it's not toxic.

This is how I get organic matter:
used coffee grounds from Starbucks
grass clippings from my yard and from my neighbors
leaves from my yard (mowed up as I clip my grass-no more raking for me!), friends, and an occasional curb snatching
horse poo (call local riding stables for a free source)
horse bedding
kitchen waste
leaf compost from the city landfill
shredded junk mail

Good luck!

Oh, and be careful. Composting and lasagna gardening are addictive.

you shred your MAIL and put it in the compost?!

I shred junk mail and put it my compost. Most ink is soy-based so it's safe. Even glossy paper is usually soy and/or clay based. I toss the plastic windows and any other non-paper enclosure, but I compost the paper-products.

KatieLovesDogs....WELCOME TO DG!

Thanks for sharing! Will be seeing you around the garden!

Shoe.

Yes Katie, Thanks for your input. We would love to see pictures this year. I have a friend who swares by lasagna gardening. I am already addicted to DG and year round mulch. Glad to have such healthy addictions!

See you around!
Tamara

What's the name of the book your friend recommends?

Thanks,
Gwen

Lasagna Gardening by Patricia Lanza is the one I use. I purchased it off Ebay for a fraction of the cost. Linda

I think that is the name of the book my friend has. i have noticed in some gardening catalogs that she has more than one book now it seems. You should be able to find one at a fraction of the cost at ebay or alibris or amazon or barnesandnoble.com

Let us know how it works! i am trying some methods from Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholemew. It seems even more promising, with 80% less space, 80% less weeding, and 80% less (something else, I think it was time).

Tamara

I'm trying Mel's process as well. Though, I am having trouble planning in my mind they way the harvest and replanting work. If anyone has a plan that they have used, I would be interested.

We are also going to try Mel's methods this year. And like Jburesh - I'm having a hard time with the replanting/harvesting. Really would love to hear how others do with this method!

Theresa

Me too! I don't have any of his books, may order one soon. Can't deicde which one, have any of you read any? Should we start a new thread about it to get some answers???

here's his site:
http://www.squarefootgardening.com/

Thanks Linda!

Have you read any of his books?

Tamara

Tamara,
Yes, i read it several years ago but he has changed things. I would recommend his newer edition. He use to dig a hole in the ground and work the soil. Now he recommends raised beds.
There is a new thread in this forum for more information.
http://davesgarden.com/forums/tw.php?tid=487630&watch=on

Thank you! I started some of my beds on top of the soil, and some I dug first, then raised them some. Will go to the new link now...

Your link went to the watch page, :) here is the actual thread for anyone else...

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/487630/

This message was edited Feb 28, 2005 1:08 PM

Thanks for correcting the link. While I was there I clicked on watch this thread then copied and pasted the address. LOL

That's i figured, seemed like sometihng I'd do. The thread over there is going good, everyone come on over!