Are you tired of constantly digging in your soil? Are you not getting the results you’d really like? Do you want to grow in a more natural way? Lasagna gardening might just be your favorite new gardening method!

The first thing to know about Lasagna Gardening is that it isn’t really a new method at all. In fact, Lasagna Gardening works so well because it mirrors the way that plants grow in nature. Here are the basics: Lasagna Gardening is a way of growing plants by using alternating layers of brown and green material that will break down over time to create fabulous soil with all sorts of nutrients, plus all the biological activity you could possibly want! The only digging you’ll ever do is to pop in new plants!

Here’s how you create a Lasagna Garden:

Start by picking a spot for your garden. We suggest using an area that is 4 feet wide and any length. The 4 feet width is important because you want to be able to reach the center of your garden without walking through it. Next, you’ll put down a layer of cardboard or 3 layers of newspaper to smother the weeds or grass. Moisten the newspaper or cardboard so that it stays in place. Don’t worry about
digging all the weeds up, because they will break down without any help from you!

Now you get to start adding layers of organic material. There are many different recipes for Lasagna Gardens, but the important thing is to alternate layers of brown and green material. Brown material contains lots of carbon, and can be things like twigs and branches, straw, sawdust or woodchips, dry leaves, and newspaper or cardboard. Green material is full of nitrogen and includes ingredients like fresh cut grass, manure, fruit and veggie scraps, and coffee grounds.

Start with a nice thick layer of browns like twigs and small branches, then add a layer of green, then back to brown. Keep adding layers between 4 and 6 inches deep until your pile gets to at least 2 feet high. If you want to plant immediately, then top off your new bed with a layer of about 4 inches of Peat Moss or
compost. Your pile will settle down pretty quickly over the next few weeks, and you’ll end up with a bed with amazing soil for growing all sorts of great stuff!
Between plantings, we suggest adding new layers of brown and green material to keep feeding the soil.

Fall and/or late Winter is a great time to do this! There you go! You now have a lasagna garden! You may not actually be growing lasagna, but you can certainly grow some of the ingredients (Like tomatoes) to make it yourself!

Bark & Garden Center