Lasagna Gardening - need tips

I am interested in lasagna gardening, and have searched the forums and atricles. I am having trouble finding out what types of items I can actually use in the "lasagna recipe". Will any type of paper work, or just newspaper. Cardboard? Will it smell bad? Any suggestiosn you can give a newcomer to this idea would be appreciated.

Thanks, Jennifer

JLP, I think the nice thing about newspaper is that it breaks down so readily - so that is a plus if you need to get out there and use the space very soon. I actually prefer cardboard because I find it is a much more effective barrier to what ever I am trying to kill off, it comes in big sizes, and it sits still. Its longer durability can really hold up to what I layer on top and does seem to allow the time to kill off some really pernicious pasture grass. I do have a tendency to plan ahead on my lasagne beds and start them a good year/18 months before I plan on planting them up (but then I have the space that allows this). I'm not sure how patient I would be with a smaller garden. All of the advice I have seen about using cardboard says punch holes in it and wet it well. Well, wetting I don't bother with, we can always rely on rain for that (this is England afterall), and I forget to punch holes in it - and it disappears anyway. So I think it is fairly flexible, but in the first instance I think I would advise to follow the cardboard rules of wet/holes.

As far as I have noticed, no smells - I layer in all annual weeds, grass clippings, wood chippings, and when I have a good 18" pile top off with well rotted manure, compost, or top soil (or what ever mixture of the three) that I have to hand. Seems to give it a good seal for breaking down, and looks nice. Right now I am working on some woodland beds so I am adding in a lot of fairly well rotted leaves that I shredded with all of our brushwood. By time I am ready to work there it will have settled very nicely. I do a little forking over to get any uncomposted areas (like where grass or leaves get a bit matted) a bit mixed in, and then get on with planting. Seems to be just too too easy - GREAT!

I'm sure you will get lots of advice on this - how fun to have been the first!

I do it pretty much the same as Laurie. But since my weather can be so dry, I water well as I build. I, too, prefer corrugated cardboard as the first layer, and soak it well. As I add things I water to get thoroughly saturated. I don't layer, I mix everything as I build because I find it breaks down easier and faster. It should not stink unless you use too much N and not enough C. In that case, just add more C material.

Karen

Wow, thank to both if you! I didn't expect so much information. I really appreciate it, and am going to get started soon.

Thanks again, Jennifer

I've used both cardboard and newspaper in different areas of my yard as I kill off more grass to convert to flower beds. Like the others DGers before me, I have NOT experienced smell. Because of where I live, on a tiny little lot with a VERY particular park manager, I always top off with a layer of bags of purchased steer manure or compost or some other dark consistent material.

If I can't get to the area and REALLY layer is quickly, I will cover and secure with weed cloth over the cardboard or newspaper. That covers the mess and I don't get complaints form neighbor or manager. I've been VERY pleased with the results of the lasagna beds and I've made beds the old traditional dig 'em- up way also... LASAGNA wins!!!

Amen to all of that. Since I subscribe to the local newspaper, it's a handy way to recycle, but as has been mentioned, cardboard is so very manageable! I've never poked holes in it; this (grrr...) St. Augustine grass would find its way through!

And sometimes even a few layers... I put down cardboard to smother Bermuda grass and covered it with mulch. The darn Bermuda has found it's way through, somehow, and all I can guess is that I didn't overlap the cardboard enough... grrr... whatta mess.

Pagancat - I find if I just push back the layers on top, I can slip another (couple) piece of cardboard to re-smother what poked through - then push every thing back on top again. Seems to work fairly well.

Yep and you can just keep adding to the "pile". Works like a charm!

Today I'm going to get out there and smother more yard with cardboard and newspapers, cover with weed cloth and spread as much compose around as I can find. I can't really complain about the "speed" of my composer, it's just that I have so much to cover it just never goes FAST enough for me! We have a pick up truck but it's been down needing repairs for months. My Sweetie has been too busy to fix it! When I see good compost stuff being offered on craigslist and freecycle I just cringe!!! I want it .. I want it all!!

The yearnings of a composter - insatiable.

LOL!

I'm a composting addict I proudly admit!! LOL

AHA! Get out your green eyes, everybody. My best friend just bought two horses - and SHE DOESN'T GARDEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I get all the poop!

Sounds like a good deal as long as you COMPOST it WELL. Horse poop is REALLY seedy and I'm sure "planting weeds" is not your intention! Will she be using a stall with chips or straw for bedding???? That is doubly good!

I've heard that horse manure should be composted a year before using in food crops - don't know if that's a chance to let any of the medications or wormers, etc. to denature, parasite control or anything else.... that's just what I heard.

But in flower beds, I use it as a top dressing on top of my rocky clay. Thinly spread, it breaks down pretty quickly.

Good point about the meds. Do you find it "weedy" if it's not composted hot first??

Not in my beds, really at all, but I know a lot of other people have said that it is ... it's true that I have a bunch of picky eaters, however. Maybe they're just avoiding the seeds? Or they have really hot guts, lol.

Hot guts... that's it! My cousin had a gelding that I SWEAR had a cast iron stomach. Lesser horses would have died with some of the stunts he pulled... Ever give a horse an enema??? It ain't pretty! LOL...

Horse wormers are absolutely no problem at all.

http://intheloop.groworganic.com/?p=62

Oh yeah - I ran into this cowboy once who gave his horse a couple of those via a garden hose. I thought about trying it on him a couple times ... either end would have counted, IMO. Grrr.

Thanks for that info, Fla_Chick - very cool. I always figured if it wasn't active in the horse past 90 that it wasn't likely to be active in the soil past then, either. But it nerves some people out, right?

It will be a mix of manure and straw, and I will definitely compost it before it hits the garden.

Why do family members and friends shake their heads when I get more excited about manure than I do about movies?

We can't expect "Non-gardening People" to understand the finer things in gardening like compost. It is beyond them. Who has time for movies? I have GARDENING TO DO!