This page best viewed using Microsoft Windows.
Last updated: February, 2008
|
Article
2
Making a Lasagna Garden
- choose site, taking into consideration sun and
shade, water and wind - decide on plants you want to grow - do a soil test to ascertain soil pH - gather lasagna ingredients -peat moss - assemble the lasagna garden Assembling a Lasagna Garden 1. First Layer - something heavy to
smother existing grass and weeds thick pads of wet newspaper, wet
cardboard. Overlap layers of newspaper/cardboard slightly to keep
weeds/grass from getting through. 2. Second Layer - two to three inch layer
of peat most to cover paper on growing areas only; use four inches of wood
chips on paths. (Make sure peat moss is moistened before applying. 3. Third layer - a four to eight inch
layer of organic mulch. 4. Fourth layer and beyond - two to
three inches of peat moss, covered with another layer four to eight inch layer
of organic mulch. Continue alternating layers of peat moss with organic
mulch until the garden bed is 18-24 inches high. Planting
the Garden
- Garden can be planted right away or left
to" cook" before planting -"cooking" the
lasagna garden reduces the height of the beds and causes the ingredients to
combine into loose crumbly soil: once
bed has been built up to 18 24 inches, cover with black plastic and weight
down edges with bricks; leave plastic on for about six weeks - pull layers apart with your hands and set the
plant in the hole; put mulch back around roots and water - seeds: spread fine compost or damp peat
moss where the seeds are to go and place on the surface; cover with more organic
material and press down; when the plants have two "true leaves" pull
some coarser mulch around them to hold in moisture and keep weeds down. Maintaining Lasagna Beds Watering. Mulch captures moisture and reduces evaporation (and your efforts spent hauling hoses and watering cans), but it can't do it all. By installing drip irrigation before building lasagna beds, you'll only have to manually water seedlings and new transplants. Once their roots become established in the rich organic mulch, you can let the irrigation system take over. You can also use gallon milk jugs or 2-liter soda bottles as free, slow-drip watering tools. Using a pin, punch tiny holes in the lower half of each jug -- both bottoms and sides. Bury them in the bed near plants and fill them, and they will slowly leak water that plants can use. You might challenge your students to design and test other irrigation tools made from recyclables. Keep mulching! Add an inch or two of mulch every couple of weeks during the growing season to feed decomposers and build soil. Regular mulching means you'll have fewer weeds to remove, and those that do grow will be easier to pull. The less you disturb the surface of the bed while working in the garden, the fewer weed seeds will be exposed to the sunlight they need to germinate. Maintain paths. We recommend mulching paths to keep weeds from making inroads and to give students a clear indication of where to walk. Use materials that are slow to decompose: wood chips, bark mulch, and the like. |
|
Last updated: February, 2008 |