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Hi all and thank you for all of your support for us newbies! And Shoe...he's awesome! He has a great answer for everything!
But now I want to pose this question to all and see what it will bring. I feel like I've gotten a late start on my seeds and my plantings outside...I've been fervently working on my soil. And since I wanted to start growing this season, I needed to do something rather quickly to 'condition' my soil. So, I thought I would do the 'lasagna gardening', cover it in plastic to bake, then til the soil into the existing soil and/or what it's become of it since the onset of my excellent lasagna. What are your thoughts on this? Think it will work? My tilling date is aimed for April 15th and planting that week. I should be finished with my layers of lasagna by this weekend, giving it 5 weeks to bake. Here is what I've added so far and what I plan on adding. If you think this will work, maybe with additional ingredients or other 'techniques'..please advise!
What's on there now:
layer of cardboard
layer of newspaper (6-8 sheets)
about a 6 inch layer of leaves, pine needles, grass clippings (all of which are from last fall which are already decomposing)
What I will be adding by the weekend:
layer of coffee grounds
another layer of newspaper (6-8 sheets)
layer of love
sprinkling of egg shells
layer of Espoma Organic Garden Manure
layer of Espoma Green Sand (Potash)
When I till on April 15, I will also incorporate Espoma Garden Tone (Organic Veggie Food), which has all 15 essential nutrients.
So what do you think my fellow freaks of nature?
Thanks so much...Pinger
And remember...Take time to 'moil in the soil' but make time to 'frolic in the fescue'...
Pinger, you're making my head swell (but thanks for the compliment).
I'm sure others will come along with their input. I haven't done any lasagna beds but your amendments certainly won't hurt, just be careful to not over-do. (Instructions should be on your bags regarding how much to use.)
By the way, is it recommended in you Lasagna book to till in all this stuff, or do you build the beds and just plant directly into them as is (which is what I thought that particular technique was)?
I don't have a lasagna book...just been searching the web for ideas.
I know that the "typical" lasagna bed, you do not til and sow directly into but I didn't think it would hurt to mix it in with some of the clay/sand soil below. This way, the roots won't slam into a brick wall...???
Pinger
Pinger, I am doing lasagna beds for the first time this year. I started mine about a month ago, and it is amazing how quickly things break down at the bottom of the pile. I don't have mine covered to "bake" but I do add a couple of layers of coffee grounds, paper, thatched grass clippings and/or leaves every weekend to try to keep the process going. I also water every time I add -- moisture is helpful in the decomposition process. Mine are all in raised beds so I won't be tilling into the soil, but I think that it couldn't hurt to do that -- it is basically like tilling compost into the existing soil, which is something I do every spring before planting my vegetable garden.
My purpose for lasagna gardening these new beds was basically to experiment with the process and to avoid buying a few yards of soil... good luck with your lasagna.
