A lasagna garden is a no-fuss approach to gardening based on layering compost material. It’s an easy and affordable option for new gardens.
We bought a piece of vacant land hoping to make a garden. However, the property was a mix of compacted clay and rock. Whatever garden we made, it would have to be on top of the ground, not in the ground.
Since we wanted a big kitchen garden with lots of deep-rooted plants, like sunchokes and potatoes, we did a combination of gardening techniques.
- Our fruit trees were planted in large clay holes, near the edge of the forested area in the the hopes that their roots would eventually be able to break up the rocks and access water and nutrients from a nearby stream. In the meantime, they required a lot of water and compost.
- We built 3 hügelkultur gardens from some scrubby trees that we took down ourselves. This was perfect for a mix of strawberries, edible flowers, and self-seeding greens.
- The bulk of our vegetables were grown in a lasagna garden.
What is a lasagna garden?
If you have to import soil, then a lasagna garden is a good option. It doesn’t matter whether you want a large kitchen garden or a few smaller raised beds.
Here are some of the key features of a lasagna garden:
- Lasagna gardens are often placed on top of lawns or fields. They help break down the grass, turning it into nutrient-rich soil rather than garden weeds.
- In our case, we were growing on rocks. We didn’t benefit from the composting grass underneath. However, our friends John and Mary Anne have been using the lasagna garden technique to grow on rocky soil for over 30 years. So we knew it was a long-term solution!
- It’s a no-till style of gardening. A big feature involves relying on microorganisms to break down compost and feed the soil.
- Close planting and mulching are key to keeping the weeds down.
- This style of garden is perfect for the lazy gardener or gardening at a vacation home. It literally requires you to leave it alone. If you haven’t read the original story by Patricia Lanza, I highly recommend it.
- Direct seeding is more difficult in a lasagna garden. I recommend starting most plants in a seedling mix, then transplanting them out. For crops that need to be direct seeded (turnips, beets, etc.) add a bit of seedling mix on top of the garden before seeding.
- Carrots need nice, lofty, tilled soil, so I don’t recommend them for a lasagna garden. Just make a small carrot patch with well-tilled soil and leave the lasagna to feed your tomatoes and cucumber plants.
The Layers Of A Lasagna Garden
The key to a functioning lasagna garden is layers! It’s like gardening in a well-structured compost pile. It’s made of alternating layers of brown material (mulch) and green material (compost).
The best part of making a lasagna garden is that there are no hard and fast rules. Use whatever materials you happen to have available to you!
If you have a compost bin then you probably already understand the need to layer moist, wet, green layers with dry brown layers.
Here are some options for brown and green layers:
Brown Layers
Carbon-rich & dry
- Clean cardboard (no tape, stickers, or wax)
- Newspaper (no glossy inserts)
- Dry leaves in the fall
- Coconut coir (more eco than peat)
- Wood chips or twigs (avoid cedar)
- Straw or hay
- Bark mulch
- Saw dust & wood ash
Green Layers
Nitrogen-rich & wet
- Grass clippings
- Fresh leaves
- Fruit & vegetable scraps
- Garden trimmings
- Non-invasive weeds that haven’t set seeds
- Seaweed (rinse off the salt)
- Manure
How to make a lasagna garden:
- When deciding where to place your garden, choose somewhere sunny.
- Create a thick barrier of cardboard or newspaper. Just be sure the cardboard isn’t waxed and is free of tape or stickers. Likewise, don’t use glossy newspapers. Try to find a newspaper that uses soy-based ink. (See photo below).
- Water the barrier layer to make it nice and moist. It also stops it from moving around while you make the next layers.
- Add a layer of green compost material (see the section above).
- Next add a double layer of brown material (see above). You need twice as much brown material as green material.
- Keep building alternating layers of green and brown material. You want it to be at least 2 feet tall because it will shrink as it decomposes.
- If you create your garden in the fall, cover it with a final layer of brown material and newspaper. This will keep the weeds out over winter. In the spring, peel back the newspaper to pop in your seedlings!
- If you build your garden in the spring or summer, you’ll need to top it off with 4 inches of soil so you can plant in it right away. Use mulch and newspaper between the plants to keep down the weeds and reduce moisture loss.
- I recommend planting beans or peas as your first crop. It will help bring nitrogen into the soil.
Maintaining your Garden
It’s important to maintain the compost layers in your lasagna garden. This is how you’ll feed your garden and keep it moist year after year.
How you approach long-term maintenance of a lasagna garden depends on where you live. Here are two methods for dealing with the lasagna garden over winter.
1. Putting the garden to bed
When Una was in preschool, I ran a gardening program for schools in our region. Putting the garden to bed was one of the lessons. 🙂
If you aren’t interested in planting an overwinter garden or live somewhere where it isn’t possible to grow in the winter, it’s important to put your garden to bed.
- Pull up all your plants and add them to your compost heap. If you grew beans or peas, then set them aside as they make a great green layer. However, tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, etc. are best composted to prevent issues with powdery mildew and blight.
- Spread a layer of compost out on the garden.
- Top with a green layer (peas and bean stalks, grass clippings).
- Finish with a thick layer of brown material. Then top with sheets of newspaper or cardboard to keep the weeds down and prevent the rain from washing away your beautiful soil.
- When you’re ready to garden the next spring, simply peel back the newspaper and put your seedlings in!
2. Overwinter gardening
The PNW is ideal for overwinter gardening. Our mild, rainy climate allows greens, fava beans, and other hearty crops to survive.
The key to overwintering your lasagna garden in the PNW is to plant a cover crop to prevent the rain from leeching away all the nutrients.
Here’s how to winter garden in your lasagna garden:
- Pull the plants and add compost, just like described in the Putting The Garden To Bed section.
- Plant your overwinter crop (typically this is best done in late August or early September).
- Once the plants are established, cover the soil around the plants with newspaper or cardboard.
- In the early spring, after you’ve harvested your winter crop, add a layer of green material and a double layer of brown material, then cover it with newspaper or cardboard. Give it at least 4 weeks to start decomposing before planting your seedlings.
- Admittedly, there isn’t always a resting time for the garden in the PNW. If you don’t have time to build up green and brown layers in the spring, add grain meal fertilizer instead.
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