"lasagna gardening"

Anyone care to comment on so-called "lasagna gardening" and what ingredients to use and/or avoid in this method? I was thinking of using it for cantaloupes.

I just completed a large, (70' long x variable depths), new bed using this method - although I prefer to call it sheet composting. There are so many different components you can use, I think it's best to just see what the cheapest available material you have on hand and use that as your major ingredient.

For me, I did the following with lots of watering between each layer:

1) Cardboard
2) Molasses/water spray (to attract earthworms)

then:

3) Shredded leaves, partially composted
4) Peat Moss
5) Blood Meal/Bone Meal
6) Top soil/garden soil/depleted potting soil from old pots


Repeat steps 3-6 until the layers are about 24" high, ending with the shredded leaves

My new bed is compacting very nicely and will be ready for roses in fall, but I've planted a vegetable garden in the layers now - both transplants and seeds - and everything is growing and producing well. I would definitely recommend this process for creating new planting beds to replace turf areas or, on a smaller scale, to create easy to manage vegetable gardens.

My best vegetable bed was built this way. I put down heavy cardboard to kill grass, then layers of a bale of hay left over from Halloween, mowed grass, chopped leaves, newspapers, rabbit manure. During the winter I poke holes in it and put kitchen wastes in it. The 2nd fall I put down more newspapers on top, then the mown grass and chopped leaves. I didn't put any dirt in except for whatever I dumped out of flower pots. It takes a little extra water the first week I plant in it, then it is pretty much carefree. Any weeds that pop up are easy to pull because everything is loose. I don't walk on it. The one time I did my foot went down about 6 inches, that is how loose the "soil" is. Mine is surrounded by 2 layer high cement blocks so I can sit while I work.

mocatmom...do you have a problem with black widow spiders using the concrete block? might just be my area but they seem to love concrete block around damp gardens...virginia

Cathy4 used the concrete block - I used a temporary fence with poultry netting affixed to tall stakes which will be removed this fall and a natural rock edging will be installed.

Thanks, everyone. I can hardly wait to get started. It sounds like great fun! I can finally use all my half-rotted compost.

Good luck, Guosui! It's more work to build it than it looks like 'on paper', but it's one heck of a lot easier than tilling, etc. As Cathy4 stated, I think it's the best planting bed you can create.

I don't know what others did, but I pulled back layers and added one little scoop of potting soil for the seeds I planted, then pulled the layers back in place as the seeds sprouted. Did anyone else just plant straight in the layers?

I start my seeds first, then plant, but if I was starting seeds in the bed, it would need a small patch of soil. Your process sounds perfect.

I fill my concrete blocks, too, and use them for flowers and herbs. They do need a bit of potting soil at the top.