Lasagna, or no-dig, gardening is a revolutionary new way to get great-tasting, nutritious vegetables and gorgeous flowers out of your very own backyard, but without ANY back-breaking digging or weeding. It’s so easy, it feels like cheating!
Lasagna gardening got it’s name because it refers to the layering involved in creating this pressure-cooker of organic power. To start up your very own lasagna gardening bed, you can build on top of an established plot or start fresh right on top of untilled earth. Either way, you’re going to need a few supplies, which you might already have if you’re currently doing square foot gardening.
- a wooden frame for containment
- fertilizer
- compost
- newspapers/cardboard
- hay/peat moss
- mulch
and, of course, you’ll still need shovel or fork to pile it all up with.
Now, you’re ready to start layering.
Build or place your containment box wherever it should go. This will keep the ingredients from falling out of your bed and wandering away. It should be about 8-10″ high.
Begin your layers with a slab of cardboard or thick newspaper mat, totally covering up the inside of the box. This will form the base and prevent grass or weeds from growing up into your bed.
On top of this, pile about 4″ of water absorbent organic material like hay, peat moss, or whatever you can find. This will act like a sponge, soaking up extra water and encouraging your plants to grow down into it.
On top of the hay, spread about an inch of fertilizer, or compost if you have plenty. The nutrients here will give your plants exactly what they need to grow big and juicy.
Above that, pile lots of hay or straw, or whatever you’ve chosen for your absorbency layer, -about six or eight inches of it. We’re keeping the moist levels separated, so they can breathe as they break down into rich soil.
On top of that, more fertilizer and more compost, forming a five- or six-inch-deep level of nutrients. Now it’s ready to plant!
Put your seedlings into this rich bed, and then mulch around them to prevent weeds and keep in the moisture. You shouldn’t plant root crops in a new lasagna bed, but plants with shallower roots will be fine. And after it has “cooked” for a year, it will be ready for root veggies as well.
Stock up on all your supplies while Gardners Supply has FREE Shipping!
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January 29th, 2010
Once you start growing foods in your own garden, you might be considered an organic gardener! But wait, not so fast. Are you really doing all you can to make sure your organic garden doesn’t get accidentally un-organic’d.
It’s not hard to make mistakes – maybe you used some treated wood when you built your container garden, or a pesticide that wasn’t organically based. And, although you may never know it, if you accidentally ruin your organic garden this way, you might as well just be buying your foods at the local supermarket.
Growing an organic garden requires special talent, and is something that’s learned in the process. It doesn’t always come naturally. But you can save yourself a few years by reading up on the subject. One book that we can highly recommend is My Organic Food Garden. It’s written by Jeff Serland and, with his help, you’ll soon be growing the best tasting food you’ve ever eaten. And that’s what it’s all about!
So why should you concentrate on organic? Here are just a few things organic gardening food can do for you:
- Increase energy and metabolism
- Increase sex drive (really!)
- Lower or eliminate depression – not just eating it, but the satisfaction (and exercise) you get from growing your own food!
- Increase motivation – just wait until you put all that beautiful food on the table – you’ll want much more!
Now’s the time to start learning, before you need to rush into planting. So brush up on your skills on using fertilizers, killing weeds, planting seeds, and much more. Get a head start on your organic garden today!
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January 10th, 2010
Rose Gardening
If you need supplies to help you get ready for Fall – or next year – now might be the time to visit Gardner’s Supply Company. They’re having a huge sale that you might not want to miss.
Take 10% off orders of $50 or more at Gardener’s Supply Company! Ends 10.8/08
That being said, here’s how to prepare your Roses for Winter:
No matter what type of climate you live in, there are always certain steps you should take to prepare your rose bushes for winter.
For those who live in the warmer climate zones this preparation will be minimal. But for those who live in the colder climate zones (like South Dakota, or even Seattle sometimes) more preparation will be needed.
In the warmest southern zone freezing isnt a major concern. You’ll want to check your plants for disease, taking care to treat for any problems that may have arisen. You may want to give a light fertilization in November to ensure blooms in time for the holidays in December.
After the blooms in December you’ll want to prune your bushes in preparation for next spring.
For those who live in temperate southern and coastal zones the freezes that occur are generally short-lived so major preparation is not necessary.
You do want to stop fertilizing and pruning or “dead-heading” in fall.
To prepare for freezes apply mulch after the second hard frost. This mulch should be mounded around the base of your plant to provide ample protection.
If you live in the colder central zones your winter preparation is a bit more extensive. If your roses are of a hardiness thats adapted to your climate zone you can simply follow the steps set out for the warmer climates.
However, if you have varieties that are not well adapted to colder climates you have three options: transplanting to containers for storage indoors, burying your plants or building a protective covering.
For anyone who lives in the Northernmost climate regions your best options are burying or transplanting your rose bushes as mentioned above. The winter temperatures are far too cold to rely on a protective covering for your plants. The cold exposure may still be too much for them to survive.
Generally transplanting is the preferred method of winterization for the most extreme winter climates.
Although the winter preparation can be a bit daunting, and at times even overwhelming, by preparing in advance for winter you can ensure that you have beautiful, healthy rose bushes next spring.
Make a winter preparation plan during the summer/fall – Doing your research and gathering supplies ahead of time will make carrying out your winter preparations easier, and much less stressful.
Check out the Gardners Supply sale for all your Fall gardening needs!
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September 22nd, 2008
This time of year I always have to brag about what’s in our garden, specifically our Avalanche Clematis and the Golden Lights Azalea.
We picked the Azalea up at a nursery about three years ago and it has never disappointed us! Right now, it’s the perfect plant for our medium container garden setting. The larger container gets to hold another favorite of ours, the Avalanche Clematis.
Both of these plants are doing especially well this year! They are the perfect plants for late spring color. And, even though they both lose their flowers after a long blooming period, they both keep beautiful green color on their leaves throughout the summer.
The Golden Lights Azalea seems to last forever. It blooms slowly, with just a few flowers coming out at first, then it goes into full bloom, as it is in the picture. Then, the flowers die very slowly, while more flowers continue to bloom. Overall, I think we get at least two full month of color out of this plant.
The Avalanche Clematis also blooms for a long period of time, but its flowers, for us at least, start out with just a few, the BURST into a gorgeous plant of white flowers. They last a long time too – probably as long as the Azalea, if not longer.
I haven’t found the Avalanche Clematis sold on-line lately, but you can find the Golden Lights Azalea at Wayside Gardens, as well as a lot of other types of Clematis – and you should definitely check out plants to get now for your summer garden.
There’s just nothing like having a container garden setting full of color - Good luck with yours!
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May 16th, 2008
Each kind of garden has its own function. A flower garden, for example, features vegetation that decorates the area around a house or building. Vegetable gardens provide vegetables for food.
Another kind of garden is called a cottage garden. Originally, they were created for crops. They were immensely useful to stave of starvation of poor workers during the 18th and 19th century.
But hardship did not dampen the workers’ pride. They started to throw handfuls of seeds randomly throughout the garden. Soon, flowering plants sprouted and gave the garden its aesthetic beauty.
Cottage Garden Landscaping Components
Today, cottage garden landscaping features a mixture of helpful and ornamental plants. In this type of garden, there are more useful plants that are used for food, medicine or animal forage, than decorative ones. The ornamental flowers are added as an afterthought to brighten up the garden.
The idea of cottage garden landscaping is to plant useful and decorative plants in a small area. Unlike cottage gardens of the past, today’s cottage gardens are designed to be pleasing to the eye by carefully arranging ornamental plants, herbs, vegetables and other ornaments. Vacant lawns are quite small since most of the space is attributed to vegetation.
Cottage garden landscaping involves the construction of paths. These are important components in a cottage garden. They are usually straight and they often have a garden island in the middle. The materials for these paths are subtle. Such materials include crushed gravel and old bricks. Pieces of broken pots or terracotta tiles are used to line up the edge of paths and garden beds.
Another important aspect of cottage garden landscaping is the presence of garden accessories. Wooden arches, for example, are built so that climbing plants can grow on them. Picket fences are used for bordering the garden. Sometimes, even weatherproof furniture is placed in a cottage garden.
In cottage garden landscaping, even the most mundane items are used for decoration. Items such as rustic water pumps, weathervanes, sundials and figurines are quite common. The aim is to generate a sense of peacefulness of past times.
Of course, the most important things in cottage garden landscaping are plants. Most gardeners choose fast growing plants so that the garden will look dense. Self seeding plants are also grown to spread the dense effect. A nice touch would be to add scented plants to bring fragrance into a cottage garden.
Truly, cottage gardens are one of the most practical types of garden that a person can make. With it, a household can save money, use the plants and decorate their homes at the same time.
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April 28th, 2008
Some of the most beautiful animals in the world are butterflies. Rich in color and life, these insects are a pleasure to behold.
Unfortunately, many species of butterflies have become extinct as their living space and food supply are threatened by humans.
However, a person can help protect them or even increase their numbers by making a butterfly garden. Butterfly garden landscaping works by growing plants that attract butterflies. Done properly, this kind of garden can be paradise for insect wildlife.
The first thing to do in butterfly garden landscaping is to locate a sunny spot in the garden. Butterflies need the sun’s warmth for their wing muscles to work efficiently. In fact, one can usually see them stretch their wings out in the sun, warming up enough to fly.
It is also important to put up the garden in an area that is clear of strong winds. Butterflies do not like strong winds and will avoid those kinds of places. They’ll just blow away and you’ll never seen them.
The next thing to consider in butterfly garden landscaping is to choose the plants well. There are four factors to keep in mind when making the selection.
First, plants should be brightly colored and scented. Butterflies are attracted to bright colors and strong fragrances.
Second, the plants should produce nectar since nectar is a staple food for butterflies. Nowadays, nectar producing plants are easy to grow. Planting different varieties of nectar producing flowers will attract even more species since some species are particular about the kind of nectar they eat.
Third, choose flowering plants that will bloom at different times in a season. This will ensure that the garden will always be colorful and attractive to butterflies. Furthermore, it ensures a steady supply of food for different species of butterflies.
Fourth, the garden should also have an abundance of host plants for the butterflies to lay their eggs on. The best host plants are the leafy ones where they can be source of shelter and food for larvae and caterpillars.
Providing an area with a rocky ledge is also a good idea for effective butterfly garden landscaping. Butterflies often perch on rocks to bask in the sun.
With the garden being an ideal habitat for butterflies, it is important to avoid the use of insecticides. These chemicals are toxic to butterflies.
Instead, use plants that are native to the area. Such plants have already developed resistance to local pests and disease, reducing the need for pesticides. Also, introduce other creatures such as earthworms, ants or beetles. These insects eat up other insects that prey on flowers. Let nature take its course.
Effective butterfly garden landscaping will reward the gardener with a beautiful view of these lovely creatures. But more importantly, they provide these creatures a chance to survive and enjoy life of their own.
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March 10th, 2008
Now that Fall is arriving, I’m going to miss all of the fresh vegetables and herbs that I have been enjoying from the garden this summer. But maybe it doesn’t really have to be that way.
You see, herb gardening has become a very creative outlet for people, and no longer has to be done totally outside, now that Aero Grows’ AeroGarden® Pro-100
has been invented (thank goodnes!)
Before you do anything with herb gardening, decide which herbs to grow. You should thoroughly enjoy the herbs you decide to plant, since most herb plants are easy to grow, require little maintenance, and will reward you with an abundance of herbs!
Here are some of the herbs we suggest you start with for your herb garden (whether outside or as a container garden).
- Strong Herbs – These consist of herbs like winter savory, rosemary and sage (best grown outside).
- Accent Herbs - like sweet basil, sweet marjoram, tarragon and thyme (OK for inside planting).
- Herbs for blending – Our favorites – chives, parsley and summer savory (make excellent inside plants).
You can always add a variety of herbs to your garden later on. When growing outside, you can have herbs growing with other vegetables or make a nice container garden with herbs. You should keep annual and perennial herbs separate. And try adding a little color with attractive, and colorful, herbs like parsley and purple basil.
When you select the site for your herb garden, you should consider the type of soil used and the drainage system. None of the herbs will grow in wet soil; hence drainage becomes an important factor (this is one of the reasons the aerogrow has become so popular – it takes care of all of the drainage problems for you).
If gardening outside, improve the drainage by removing the soil up to a depth of about 15 to 18 inches. Next, place a 3 inch layer of crushed stone or similar material on the bottom of the excavated site. Before placing the soil in the bed area again, you should mix some compost or sphagnum peat and sand with it to lighten the texture. You should add fertilizer if needed.
This same process can be done in your container gardner, just use smaller amounts. And, here’s a tip I just received from a friend of mine.
If you have a lot of wine corks collected and don’t know what to do with them, use them in the bottom of your container plant in the place of stones. They make excellent drainage devices.
Next you need to plant the herb seeds. If possible sow the seeds in shallow boxes in winter. If you want to transplant seedlings outdoors, sow in the spring.
A light, well drained soil is best for starting the seedlings indoors. The finer the seed, the shallower it should be sown.
You may find that you can cut and divide current herbs to re-propagate them. Cuttings are the best choice when the seeds are slow to germinate. The fresh leaves on the herbs can be picked up as soon as the plant has enough foliage to maintain growth.
To ensure good oil content in your herbs, pick the seeds after the dew has disappeared, and before the sun becomes too hot.
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September 15th, 2007
Jeff and I were watching our favorite gardening show “Gardening by the Yard” and we learned a few tricks from Paul James on how to get rid of ground moles.
These are harmless to humans, and would be worth a try if you don’t have a shotgun that you can shoot the little buggers with (not that we do that, of course)!
Here’s just a few:
Caster Oil Granules (or a solution of Castor oil and water)- Put these in and around the ground mole hole. They slowly dissolve and the smell scares moles (and gophers) away. If you want to show them the way out, apply the granules to the farthest point first, then when they move on, apply to the next section, and the next, until they’re in your neighbors yard (I’m sure HE has a shotgun!) Just kidding, hopefully they’ll just find another home when they get to the “door.”
Human Urine and Water – Works like the Castor oil does, but be sure to hide the shotgun if you’ve been drinking beer in order to obtain enough “poison” to cover all the mole holes.
Setting Harpoon Traps seems to work the best – you need to put them by the main tunnel for the best chance of a catch.
Nematodes or microscopic worms are bacterial sprays that eliminate the grubs, which are mole food. It may or may not work, since moles also eat earthworms, so you’ll have to test this one.
DO NOT try fumigation by attaching a hose to the exhaust of the lawn mower. This doesn’t work, and the smell might just frustrate you enough to get out the shotgun again.
OK, I’m really not sure when I decided to go for the shotgun angle, but I thought it might just add some humor into an otherwise very irritating subject.
Good Luck removing moles from YOUR yard!
Mole Control
is HERE!
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August 21st, 2007
Make a Lilac bouquet and learn how to trim your Lilac Bush.
I received another nice bouquet from Jeff last week. It’s a Lilac Bouquet! It was on the table when I came home and I had to look twice to see if he had actually bought the flowers.
This time he mixed two Red Tulips in with it,and some other greens from various trees and plants around the garden, and some white flowers (I refer to them as “snow”). We had enjoyed the Tulips in one of our Container gardening pots for some time, so this was an excellent way to get just a little more time out of it.
I always hate to pick the flowers in the garden (which is why I told him he should do it). And, guess what? I received another bouquet this week! More Lilac’s!
According to Jeff, it’s good to prune them down a little as they are growing, so new flowers can come out. Then, when they all start to die down, remove the dead flower clusters, pruning them just above a node (where the leaf joins the stem).
You should also remove older branches that might be crowding in, or crossing over others. Cut these at the base of the shrub, just above the soil (yup, all the way down to the ground!). Also purne any weak looking branches, and/or broken spindly looking ones.
This way, you’ll have a beautiful Lilac tree next year, and can enjoy that first lilac aroma of the spring.
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April 29th, 2007
I recently discovered something called the Dutch Garden. According to Wikipedia, “The Dutch garden is distinguished by its dense atmosphere and efficient use of space. On an international level, a garden with tulips is also easily labeled as a Dutch Garden.
The placement of flowers and shrubs in the Dutch garden is non-linear and informal, though still efficiently making use of space and light. Because the Netherlands is one of the most densely populated countries, gardens are generally small – and because houses are placed right next to each other, there is not very much light available. Because of these restrictions, a distinguished style of garden design emerged.”
It sounds like a Dutch Garden is not that different than Square Foot Gardening, except that in Dutch Gardening there are no little squares to put plants in. It’s all a little haphazard. However, there ARE some recommended plants for this garden, if you’re serious about putting a little Dutch Culture into your garden, here’s what to look for.
Tulips, Anemones, Calla Lily, Narcissus, Roses, Snowdrops, Crocuses.
I was surprised to see Roses on the list because my roses tend to grow tall and out of control sometimes. I guess you have to select the smaller varieties in order to maintain the small space gardening concept.
I think the largest Dutch Garden is the Keukenhof Garden in Lisse, Holland. I managed to find a very nice site that had some very colorful pictures of these gardens at: http://www.stsite.com/Keukenhof .
This is a beautiful slide presentation – I’ve never seen so many colors put together so nicely, and now I’m dying to get a hold of some of those blue flowers!
I’m not fooled though. It really doesn’t look like these gardens are planted in an informal way. They look very structured, although there are a lot of plants in one space. I guess you have to have some structure if you’re going to try to blend colors together.
These would also be perfect for container gardening!
All in all, I think it’s worth giving Dutch gardening a try. I’ll try to find some more information on them, so stay tuned.
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April 10th, 2007
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