Let the Layering Begin!

Is there any better way to spend a bright spring day than working in a garden?  After first stopping at a garage sale and visiting with a friend, I thought some gardening was a perfect way to round out the day.

My lasagna garden is going to take a couple of weeks to "cook" after it's all put together, so that's where efforts need to be focused right now.

Have you heard of lasagna gardens?  From the first time I heard of the idea on WI Public Radio's Garden Talk, I was intrigued and knew I needed to try it . . . that was 2 years ago!  (Note the birth of a new idea.) To learn more, I bought the book (used, of course) http://www.amazon.com/Lasagna-Gardening-Layering-Bountiful-Gardens/dp/0875969623/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335058636&sr=8-1

Reading was inspirational and intimidating.  Thank goodness that Roger Reynolds paid another visit to Larry Meiller on WPR - a quick conversation with him convinced me that I CAN do this, in spite of having a ginormous garden!  Here's Roger's blog - you should check out some of the photos from his projects.  http://infiltratinglandscapes.blogspot.com/ 

To make a long story short, one of the biggest benefits of creating a lasagna garden is that it cuts down on this:

So, back to today . . .

I started by gathering my materials which now includes the camera since no blog is complete without those  jaw-droppingly beautiful photos.  Are you ready to be wowed?  (just play along)

My garden is going to take a LOT of cardboard.  You know, all I wanted for my birthday last fall was cardboard.  No such luck.  Hubby swept me off to Maine for a 2nd honeymoon, so I won't complain.  He gave me cardboard for Easter instead.  We've got oodles of cardboard now thanks to him and to friends who stockpiled some for me . . . and to Target.  Take note:  a really good way to embarras your kids is to tell the Target employees that you're really excited to catch them stocking shelves and beg them for the cartful of empty cardboard boxes.  

Here's the garden before:

First step, add a layer of cardboard, overlapping the edges by 3 inches or so.  This smothers the weeds below.  My helper is hosing them down to keep them in place.

Then, it's time to start adding more layers.  We've started adding some old rotting hay that we got for free - it'd been sitting on a roadside for years.  We also added some of last summer's grass clippings.

And again, more water.  I need to get dry hay to add more height.  I think we're at about 6 inches now, but we've got to get to 18 - 24 inches.

We've covered what we've done so far with black plastic.  We'll keep watering it and "cooking" it under black plastic until it's ready to plant into.

One strip down the garden is all we could finish today, and I think we've got about 4 more strips (each 8-feet wide) to do before this garden is finished.  I wonder if we'll be able to completely "lasagnify" this garden this summer.    Stay tuned!

Thanks for holding me accountable!

This idea will become a reality!