Lasagna Gardening

Lasagna gardening is a distinct style of gardening, which does not require any digging or tilling. It is predominantly an organic gardening method that results in producing rich, fluffy soil, with very little effort from the gardener. The name ‘lasagna gardening’ refers to the method of building a garden, wherein you add layers of organic materials that will result in rich soil over time, helping the plants to grow and flourish. This method of gardening is also known as ‘sheet composting.’ Lasagna gardening is quite beneficial for the environment, as it employs the yard and kitchen waste, composting it in place to give rise to a new garden. To know how to make a lasagna garden, read the steps given below.

How to Make a Lasagna Garden

Decide the area, where you intend to build the garden and cover it with a good dusting of dolomite lime, as it neutralizes pH, breaks down clay and adds calcium and magnesium to soil.
Prepare a 5 cm layer of manure over the soil. Rake level. The purpose of the manure is to provide a nitrogen kick to plants later in the season and even introduce earthworms to till soil. Fresh manure on the bottom of the pile is broken down by microbes, before roots can access it.
The next step is to cover the manure level with sections of newspaper, edges overlapping. You can even use plain cardboard, if available.
Now, add a layer of leaf mulch and rake level.
Add a layer of garden soil and once again rake level.
After this, add a layer of coco peat or leaf mulch and level it again. Coconut fiber is a non-renewable resource and waste product, used as an alternative to peat.
For the top layer, add screened compost or topsoil. The finished bed should be about 12 inches in height. Water the bed well.
Grass clippings, spoiled hay or stored leaves can also be used for preparing the bed of lasagna garden.
You can collect piles of dry leaves from fall. Run a lawnmower over them, to turn a big pile into a neat little pile of shredded leaf mulch, which will serve to be a good top layer for planting.
After your bed is prepared, you can direct seed or plant to it.

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