Wednesday, October 8

Lasagna gardening

Cooking up a no till, no fuss border

Illustration/Kim Carpenter

When it came to making new garden beds at our house, my father believed in the power of the Almighty Rototiller. He'd rev it up and chew into whatever existing sod dared to stand in his way, leaving a snarled path of roots and leaves in his wake. After spending one summer on a landscaping crew, I learned the Right Way to install a new bed. Complete sod removal was the only way to go. Of course, it took twice as long as the rototiller method, but it put an end to the endlessly arising grass sprouts. Yes, spading up all that sod was also backbreaking labor, but this was accompanied by the overwhelming sense of a job well done and a grass-free bed. My father didn't approve of wasting so much effort on lawn demolition, and we butted heads on the topic several times.

Today there is a solution to appease both of us.

Layer upon layer

Built on top of the sod, lasagna gardening is a simple system of layering, much like the Italian dish for which it is named. Thick organic layers create a cool moist environment, which draws earthworms. As the worms come up, they break through the sod and decompose it into nitrogen-rich fertilizer for your planting.

In lasagna gardening, organic material is divided into two categories: carbon and nitrogen. Carbon, or 'brown' organics, include chopped fall leaves, peat moss, shredded newspaper and pine needles. Nitrogen, or 'green' organics, refer to materials such as grass clippings, manure, garden trimmings, and weeds — as long as they haven't gone to seed.

The thought of hauling and spreading enough organic matter to cover the ground to the requisite 2-foot depth may feel overwhelming. Depending on the size of your bed, it could very well be a big job. But consider this: By building a lasagna garden, you're completing three tasks at once: sod removal, tilling and soil amendment.

Fall is an ideal time to build your lasagna garden. For one thing, you'll have something to do with all those fallen leaves. Additionally, the organic material will break down over winter. Come spring, you'll have a perfectly composted, wormy, weed-free planting environment 6-8 inches deep.

Planting and maintaining

To plant your lasagna garden, simply pull back the layers of compost, set the seedlings in, and then smooth the compost back in over the roots. If you chose to use cardboard for your base layer, you will probably need to dig down and cut a hole in it for each plant.

To maintain the bed, just add fresh mulch when needed. You can use bark mulch for a professional look, or continue using organic material, such as straw or chopped leaves.

If you can't build your bed in the fall, you may want to 'cook' it for six weeks under black plastic before you plant. This reduces the height of the beds and produces high-quality workable soil more quickly.

Some people put plants in lasagna beds immediately after building them. If you plan to plant right away, be sure any manure you use has been over-wintered so that it won't burn your plants. If you'd like to start seeds in your lasagna garden, sprinkle fine compost or damp peat moss over the area to be seeded. Sow your seeds in that layer, then cover with more of the same fine compost.

Let me count the ways

Why should you try lasagna gardening? First, it's environmentally-friendly. You're using nature's materials to correct nature's dilemmas. All that wonderful, recycled, water-retaining organic material will make your garden drought-hardy. Second, you're building a good foundation for your plantings. Most horticulturists will recommend amending your soil before you plant. Lasagna gardening does that automatically. Clay soil will become more porous and sandy soil will hold moisture and nutrients better. Additionally, the layers will serve as mulch — keeping weeds down, regulating temperature fluctuations, and retaining moisture. I can't forget the most important point of all: It's easy! No more wrestling with the rototiller or breaking your back with a spade.

Mollie Uftring developed a green thumb as a teenager working in the perennial beds at Hornbaker Gardens in Princeton, Illinois. After graduating from the University of Illinois with a degree in ornamental horticulture, she worked as a landscape designer in Ohio before returning to Illinois.