Page 1 of 1[1]
Lasagna Beds an overview
| Member | Message |
|---|---|
 |
Posted: Aug/10/2008 3:56 PM PST
At Yardgranny's request I'll try to explain without sounding to anal.. First, the idea behind the veggie garden was my DH's. His idea of a veggie bed it a long wide rectangle, with chicken wire (or similar fencing), that you walk down the rows and weed, weed, weed. 1) I hate fences 2) All vegetables and now flowers? ARE YOU NUTS??? All of this lead me to start reading up on companion planting, also how to build a better mouse trap, oops! vegetable garden. Since I had already tilled the plot out, and the weeds started growing back, this was a perfect excuse to try lasagna beds. Which is basically no till gardening. I'mm tilling out the trenches because our soil in so hard. You soak newspapers in water and lay them down thick (6,7,8 pages) over your proposed site, this kills the weeds. Then cover it in layers of your organics, peat, manure, humus, leaves...now you have built a raised bed, without the building. You can use this method in Spring to quick jump your beds, or in my case Fall, and the beds will be good to go in Spring. I'll use Fall clean up to help build the beds up and add the top layer in Spring. Instead of fencing, I am going to try to use different flowers and herbs as pest and animal repellants (I am keeping fencing by JIC)Again, I will find out in Spring if this works too. DH thinks I'm nuts anyway, he doesn't quite get the idea. What I like about doing this in Fall, is I can take a little more time in buying and hauling peat, compost and manure, I'd rather spend 10-15 bucks a week than all at once in Spring. We don't get the paper delivered, so I can go to my mom's and take the ones she saves again at my lesuire. And it's also become quite the conversation piece. What I did was break the original bed up into 8 sections (5 1/2 x7 1/2 apprx.) and tilled out trenches around each section so I can comfortable walk around each bed and not have to step in it and compact the soil. You use the dirt from the trenches and pull it up into the individual beds to make the "raised" part. I will use recycled boards for the trenches so I am not walking in mud after it rains. Also the hope is with obvious paths, no one will walk through the beds since the paths are so close. It's also suppose to make crop rotation easier, I guess I will find out. |
 |
Posted: Aug/16/2008 12:39 PM PST
There are times when I think gardening comes from what we have to work with. I have started several beds along the fence just by raking leaves into the area and leaving them there until spring. I like your idea for the mounding and then placing boards to walk through. The newspapers I have used for years now and it works really well. Going to try some flattened boxes this year for the pathways through my flower beds. I expect great things from this method and maybe a lot less weeding next year. So the idea of Lasagna gardening is the simple idea of Layering your mulch and compost. I like the idea a lot. Thanks Linda B |
|
|
Posted: Aug/16/2008 6:51 PM PST
It was funny today. The son and daughter of the original owners were here today. They moved away in 1972, the house was built in 1967. I had just finished mopping the kitchen and there was a knock on the door. They explained they were in town for the weekend and were hoping to look at it. They haven't been back since they moved. I was more than happy to let them look and reminisce. They asked if I would show them the gardens, when they were here it was just "yard". When we moved to the south yard, where the new veggie garden is going, we spent a lot of time. They had never heard of such a thing. It's been fun watching it all grow and expand. The constant planning and changing according to what is available. Gardening has taught me a lot, made me appreciate smaller things, shown me different ways of seeing things around me, given me peace.  That's my story, I'm sticking to it.Sass |
 |
Posted: Aug/16/2008 6:59 PM PST
I'm looking forward to trying it for next year
|
 |
Posted: Aug/19/2008 4:10 PM PST
I'm with you, Sass! The garden enriches my life, too -- I call it my church. I tried the newspaper weed barrier when we built our berm, but the article where I got the idea didn't tell me to wet the papers first. Every breeze sent me chasing after flying newspaper until I managed to anchor them down. When I laid bark mulch over it the problem was gone. But what a hassle! I will try the wet newspaper next time, and build a lasagne bed.  Cheers, Ozma |
 |
Posted: Aug/24/2008 1:32 AM PST
We don't take the paper either, so I've been saving up from friends, too. I'm going to do both my natural areas in the front yard. I wonder if it will deter the squirrels from digging. What a mess that will be if it doesn't. |
|
|
Posted: Aug/24/2008 5:43 PM PST
I just got in from an 8hr gardening marathon. Yesterday I got another of the individual beds done, that left 3. Today I wanted to till out the paths more and get at least 1 more bed finished.....Got all of them! I looked at the plot, looked at the bags of peat and mulch, the pile of leaves on the other end, and said DARN IT. It's done, I'm beat. Tomorrow I get the leave blower out and plant my hibiscus and move peonies. |
Page 1 of 1[1]
Read Next Discussion
