I also got a few Italian Parsley seeds to come up - next to my dead rosemary! I think it got over watered as it was mixed in with the veggies and I was having a really hard time getting the seeds to come up in the heat.
My No-Dig Garden
I have a couple of questions about the lasagna bed. I just put on in on the side of my house. I have St. Augustine grass there. I put in an edging and did dig the grass back 2-3 inches from the edging (figured that would be the part that would be hardest to really cover well with cardboard or newpaper). I put down a layer of cardboard, then rabbit manure, then newspaper, then a thin layer of coffee grounds and filters, another layer of newspapers, then garden soil mixed with Black Cow. I have already planted this bed since I was adding small plants. I am guessing that will work out okay since there is nothing hot in there. I would also think that will kill the St. Augustine, right?
For the other side of my house, I am thinking about doing pretty much the same procedure, but don't have the rabbit manure. I was thinking that I would empty my compost bin and use those materials. The compost is not near finished, but it is pretty much just rabbit manure and shredded newspaper. Then I will proceed from there as I did before with the coffee grounds, newspaper, garden soil and Black Cow. The unrotted compost should be okay as the bottom layer, right?
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Sheila
Sounds good to me, let us know how it goes!
Nice to see a post in this thread! Sheila, I am no more experienced at lasagna gardening than you are and working with less wonderful materials to boot, but I think it is working, as I began last fall on this bed and it sat over the winter and I am now planting in it.....
I had cardboard from my moving boxes which I did not even bother to take the tape off as I figure I can pull it out whenever it gets in the way once boxes rot. (Which I have begun to do.) I had newspaper on another side where I ran out of boxes. I then put some amended garden soil that was just in a pile that I was given (did not cover very deep at all) spread several bags of steer manure, then some bagged compost on top of that. Only got it up to about 2 or 3 inches. On top of all that I put some leaves I raked up but even though I wet them down most thoroughly, most of them dried and blew away before they could thoroughly rot down. I actually did that twice before giving up. Had no way most of the winter to get any other mulching material. No way to grind up the leaves either.
Under all this was grass with very matted roots, do not know what kind but it is the kind that makes foxtail seedheads that get in animal's coats..... not a lawn by any means. I had my doubts but it does seem to have mostly been killed. Grass and other wild plants are up all over but in my patch not except a stray here and there that comes out easily.
I have planted several perennial native flowering plants I grew from seed, and yesterday put my Walla Walla onions (that I also grew from seed) out in the ground.
It is far from a perfect textbook lasagna bed, but gosh, it does seem to be working just fine and it saved me from the labor of digging up all that grass last fall.
Hope that is encouraging to you, Sheila, and helpful.
Kyla
I was telling my DH about this and he isn't quite convinced, but wants to try it in a very modified way. Very similar to you, Kyla, but we haven't even started it yet!
Here's what he's thinking: We've already weeded the bed and raked the ground to loosen the soil- so we'll cover it with wet newspaper. Over that, we'll put gardening soil mixed with manure.
that's it! It won't be real deep, so would I need to make small holes in the newspaper when I start putting in my wintersowed flowers? Will such a minimal covering keep the weeds out and let the flowers grow?
thanks for any input on this :)
Chris
Unless the newspaper has broken down, yes, you will have to make holes. I am having to do a bit of that too with the cardboard. The more you soak it the sooner it will break down I expect.
Will it keep the weeds out? I dunno! It will definitely cut down on any weeds germinating from seeds in that covered soil...... but you will still have a bit of blown in seeds and that. Me, I think it is worth the effort. If nothing else the newspaper and manure nourish your soil so you don't lose anything at all.
Interesting to see how everyone is doing this differently. From what I've read, it seems the more mulching materials, the better. The hardest part of making my beds was actually going to get the alfalfa and straw bales (and the subsequent cleaning of the car!). The newspaper/cardboard benefits the attraction of earthworms, while keeping weeds down. The Bermuda grass I did this on top of came up through the cracks in the layers of cardboard, however. Annoying, but not fatal, so I would simply dig out the bermuda next time, and then maybe use some horticultural vinegar on the soil just to make sure I got it all.
Since I had so many layers of materials, I actually created wells for the steer manure, once it had all settled, then planted directly into steer manure / compost mix. Some things did well, and others did not. Part of my problem is that each time I have planted, we get a 95-100 degree heat wave! The tomatoes love it! I still have a hard time figuring out when to water things, as I am used to my dry sandy clay soil and all of it's peccadilloes.
My sugar snap peas did not come up at all. I didn't harden off my zucchini starts enough, and some of my Jalapenos did not get enough water. The basil is a little stumpy too (also not hardened off well. I will try some more stuff this weekend.
Oh, keep us posted! I just planted out my Walla Walla onion starts that I began from seed. Not going to do more veggies out there but have wildflower seedlings goin good. (in the no-till bed that is)
Heat can be almost as challenging as freezes. Here we had a leetle bit of the CA heatwave just past, and tomorrow night supposed to get down to 27. sheesh, wishin the plants luck!
Okay, I can report my no dig garden is doing swell, especially in the sense that there are very very few weeds to deal with.
In other words, Yay! It's working! It's working! LOL!
I know how you feel. I am getting the hang of how to plant and water this garden. It takes a lot of observation, trial, and error. I was underwatering the jalapenos, cucumbers, and basil, so now they get supplemental water every three days, while the tomatoes are fine on about a weekly deep watering. I'm going for a second sowing of arugula, endive, and mizuna. I also put in some starts of Romaine lettuce, as well. Juchini is sort of sulking in the cooler temps.
Yes it does (take observation, trial and error), but honestly, isn't that the way with any kind of gardening?
I found I was overwatering the onions (Walla Wallas out there) and some damped off, but soon as I backed off on their water they got very happy. ;-)
Most of what's out there right now is flowers and some herbs but I did set out a Mexican Midget tomato the other day and it is doing fine.
The garden in general seems to hold and also drain water much better than the surrounding ground, which is another benefit. And though there are some weeds sprouting here and there it is nothing bothersome at all.
Hi Folks!
reading most of this thread . . all i can say is:
Baby, Where have you been all my life!! LOL!
relocated to NC and fought with this clay for a couple of summers.
even then, with the beginning of health issues unbeknownst tome, I couldnt handle a regular shovel or fork. SO i always bought those
- smaller versions: turning forks or spades - dunno exactly what they are called but . . .
No matter! Ive found this forum now!!
Cant DO it this summer . . .
but I will be checking in - getting ready for next summer!
Oh, good. I do think you will find this a much easier-on-the-body gardening experience. I watch my neighbor pounding away at the rocky soil and feel grateful not to be doing things that way anymore! So much of that now seems totally unnecessary.