Easy and it looks great, nice work!! Wish I had done something like that before digging my most recent garden this spring. It was a backbreaker! It's done now, but I'm really liking that idea for my next garden I plan to start late summer/early fall. It's going to be a pretty large one too so I'm looking forward to trying your idea. Thanks for posting!

It DOES look awesome. I especially love the fact that you said it took an hour and a half. It would have taken all day at least if you had to dig the grass. Plus then there is the problem of just were exactly do you all those cloddy pieces of grass? Great job and there will be lots of room to plant in the fall or spring.

Thanks Rita!! (It was Rita's idea from the daylily forum...which, by the way, you guys should check out. AWESOME nice people with beautiful pictures!)

We did the lasagna garden method last year for both our vegetable garden and our flower garden. It not only saved us tons of back breaking work, but looks fantastic. This year in early spring, I planted several tomato plants and the soil was so rich I could almost dig a hole with my fingers. Just added more compost around the base of the tomato plants a week ago to enrich the soil a bit. Weeding is almost non existant as long as you keep an eye out for the crab grass that always seems to show up inevitably. Once the tomato's are harvested, I plan on doing the whole lasagna thing again just to keep the soil in good condition. I encourage everyone to try this.

Looks great! Will you come to my house and make some? LOL

There are so many different type mulches out there, which one would you all recommend?

That depends on 1) what's available, 2) what you can afford, 3) the look you are going for, and maybe 4) the type of plants you are using the mulch around. I would try to use organic mulch when possible. That way the mulch will build your soil as it decomposes.

Most of the time, I use shredded hardwood mulch. It's not always the best choice in some aspects, but it is readily available and much less expensive than some of the alternatives. It also holds together well (prevents wind and erosion issues) and gives a good finished look.

Pine bark has many advantages (lasts long, repels insect, doesn't rob surface nitrogen, and looks great), but also some drawbacks (expense, isn't always available in large quantities, can be displaced by wind or water). If you use pine bark nuggets, use the smaller variety unless you have a really large bed and large plants. I think the big nuggets look bad in small beds.

I love pine needle mulch, but, since Ed McMahon never came to visit me with a check before he died, I can't afford enough of it to cover my beds.

I've used pea gravel in some beds. It looks really nice if well maintained. The two big issues with pea gravel is heat buildup in sunny locations and dirt/debris getting into the crevices. I spend a few minutes every week cleaning out my relatively small amount of pea graveled beds. It's been worth it, I guess, but I don't think I would use it if I had to do it over again. The one thing you should never use is white rocks. Why do people like this look? I have never understood it! I think a slab of concrete or blacktop would be more attractive.

One reason I asked was because bought a couple bags of expensive pine mulch from Walmart advertised as insect control for 90 days. It was for a flower bed out in front yard, with no new soil but had been worked up several years ago and had been producing fine. Now on one end I can't get anything to grow, each transplant gets its roots eaten up in 3-4 days. When digging into it I swear that end is full of termites & if they are--then the mulch brought them in.

It's unlikely that termites were brought in with the mulch. However, termites are ubiquitous and could be attracted to many types of decaying wood. They are not likely to be attracted by any type of pine mulch and they don't generally harm garden plants of any kind. Applying insecticide unnecessarily can be disadvantageous because it kills all your beneficial insects. However, if you have a significant termite infestation in or near your home, it would probably be wise to take action!