‘Lasagna/e gardening is a no-dig, no-till organic gardening method that results in rich, fluffy soil with very little work from the gardener. The name “lasagna gardening” has nothing to do with what you’ll be growing in this garden. It refers to the method of building the garden, which is, essentially, adding layers of organic materials that will “cook down” over time, resulting in rich, fluffy soil that will help your plants thrive. Also known as “sheet composting,” lasagna gardening is great for the environment, because you’re using your yard and kitchen waste and essentially composting it in place to make a new garden.
No Digging Required
One of the best things about lasagna gardening is how easy it is. You don’t have to remove existing sod and weeds. You don’t have to double dig. In fact, you don’t have to work the soil at all. The first layer of your lasagna garden consists of either brown corrugated cardboard or three layers of newspaper laid directly on top of the grass or weeds in the area you’ve selected for your garden. Wet this layer down to keep everything in place and start the decomposition process. The grass or weeds will break down fairly quickly because they will be smothered by the newspaper or cardboard, as well as by the materials you’re going to layer on top of them. This layer also provides a dark, moist area to attract earthworms that will loosen up the soil as they tunnel through it….’
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Link to instructions on how to use empty milk bottles to create watering devices that are gentle on the plants and good for children to use (as opposed to hosing everyone in the class or straining with /getting feet wet with watering cans….)
Having recently converted some wooden pallets into a boardwalk to divide my veggie patch, and yesterday acquiring some more from a builder who didn’t want them, it got me thinking about different ideas for recycling these ‘unwanted’ items. Here are a few images of projects I’ve trawled from the internet and a few links to sites with ideas on how to convert your pallets into useful objects around the garden (and further afield)- furniture, planters, walkways, fencing,buildings – the ideas seem limitless and the process fun. A sort of ‘grown up Lego’!
Do you have some ideas of your own not shown here? I’d love to hear from you and see your photos!
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