This is the only method I make any new beds, my poor back canÂt dig no more. Sounds like you got it all detailed, not much other than that.

I noticed thou some gardeners make a bed within months, I let mine cook for a whole year (season) just incase any weeds/ quack grass sneak thru since I also layer horse manure to it. My last step is to apply RoundUp, wait 2 weeks, then plant and mulch with straw.

Are you going to wear your housecoat to this demo as well ;) LOL

Sharon

Hopefully it'll be too warm for a housecoat! :) I thought about a bikini but i don't want to scare anyone....

If it is too warm for a housecoat, then you have an excuse to go out and purchase a new lightweight housecoat...you know the flowing silky ones like La Senza carries. You have to keep up the tradition, don't you, of doing hort presentations in your night clothes?

It will be a long time til we all forget about that picture you posted of yourself!! :)

Sorry, back to the topic...I just use Roundup, wait a week, amend the soil and plant...no lagagna for me.

Brenda

I made my first Lasagne bed last summer and let it cook over the winter (except for a few plants I had to have!). I used wet newspaper rather than cardboard and multiple layers of manure, peat moss and green clippings. The only thing I'd do differently is remove all the grass under the bed because I had alot of quack grass come up this spring.

Its a great method of making bed under trees or shrubs because you don't have to dig down, you just build up over the roots. It hasn't seemed to harm my shrubs at all.

BTW, I'd like to see that picture can you send me a link? It sounds just like me, if I see something that I have to do off I go even if I'm in a housecoat or PJ's...another crazy gardener!

kuzari princess

Here's the picture:
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I don't think i'll be continuing the tradition - so sorry! I've done lots of gardening in a nightgown, but never lasagne gardening! LOL

Marcia, I did lasagna for a triangular bed in the front yard. Hubby first dug out the outlines of the bed and threw the chunks of grass from the dug edge into the middle. Next, I put down several layers (10 or more) of newspapers since I didn't have carboard. Then I layered whatever organic materials I had such as dried leaves, pine needles, pine cones, and manure in a layer about a foot deep. On top, I put several bags of soil. I didn't wait at all but planted directly into this adding soil in the holes that I made for the plants. Once everything was planted, I added tree mulch that I got from the arborist who pruned our trees. Everything overwintered beautifully and the plants have more than doubled in size this spring. The irises actually tripled in size. I got funny looks from the neighbours while I was doing it (they were having a party accross the street so I got lots of exposure) but they came this spring to ask me how I had done it. They ended up doing their own lasagna beds in their back yard. It looks great! Here is a pict of my triangular bed.

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That looks really nice, Danni! How you make your lasagne bed is pretty much up to each person and what you have on hand. I told the people tonight that the hardest part of it all is just getting the material, and that's not hard at all. And i got a new source of leaves out of it! LOL This is from a new member of the club who has no confidence in growing anything, so she figures she might as well give me the leaves.

Anyway, it turned out okay. The people who came had a pre-tour tour, and they got to see my blue poppy in bloom. I love showing off that thing!! :D If this had been last week, it wouldn't have been blooming but i would have had a lot more tulips and daffodils for them to see. As it is, most of them are gone. But that's okay.

I'll finish the bed off this weekend, and i may try an idea that i found while looking up information for the demonstration - covering the dirt with black plastic for a month or so to help it cook faster.

I am trying a 10 x 20 foot lasagne bed. I should finish it tomorrow. First I am planting my shrubs and then will be putting the newspaper down and topping with leaves, grass clippings,peat moss, manure, ground and whatever else I can find. Hopefully I will be able to have it around a foot deep.The shrubs that are going in this bed are my Polar Bear Willow, Black Lace Elder, Sutherland Gold Elder, Goldmound Spirea, Blue Ice Bog Rosemary, and all my red, yellow and white Rugosa Roses.
Shelley

Over on Garden talk on BHG.com (message board) there is a whole tutorial put together on a lot of peoples methods - which really doesn't differ muc but is testimonials to the method... Even has a graphic showing the layering.

Bhg.com
message boards
garden
garden talk
Title is Newbies - how to garden. I believe it's the third title from the top, maybe the second..

Glad to hear your demo turned out great Marcia!

Here's what I was up to today....

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This Lasagna gardening was actually started last fall, first I place heavy duty plastic and pieces of old carpet to smother the weeds and quack grass. Today I pulled it off and layered, cardboard, homemade compost, aged manure, leaves collected last fall and old wet straw.

This area is behind the greenhouse, so it gets part shade in the evening. Hmmm, now I have to decide what I'm going to order and plant in there. LOL

Shelley, nice plants, can't wait to see the finished project ;)

Sharon

Looks good enough to eat! LOL

It does and it smells so earthy too ;)

A funny thing happened after I did my lasagne bed. My DH said he was going to buy me a bunch of manure and peatmoss, so I could do more. What the he...? He usually could care less. I asked him why. His reply was "The yard is really starting to look nice and that'll mean less grass to cut." And he just bought a riding mower.... Oh well a compliment is a compliment.
Shelley

Right on Shelley!
Does that mean more roses. LOL

What would ever make you think that? I counted yesterday -106. I don't believe that I could ever have too many. Hmmm, now what can I find new for next year? I have a few in mind already. I want to keep the purchases number lower next spring. Planting is too much work. I want to enjoy everything next year. And besides, I have to make sure that I leave enough grass for DH to mow with the riding mower.
Shelley

106 Roses Shelley, you got me beat by 20, could be 22 if 2 of them don't smart up!

I want to keep the purchases number lower next spring. Planting is too much work. I want to enjoy everything next year.

LOL, I say that every year too, doesn't happen! ;)

Sharon

Shelley, some advice. Make more beds. Sell the lawn mower. Buy more roses. Easy. :)

Good true advice. I have 3 good sized lots. I'm sure DH won't even notice any new beds.
As far as the rose purchases. I said I was going to keep it to no more than 10 this year and added around 35. Oops.... Next year I'm putting a more realistic number - less than 20. Do you think I can do it? I can , I can,.... I think I can?
Shelley