Category: Grow your own food


Grow food not lawns

‘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.

Lasagna GardenNo 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….’

Sources and further information:

How to make a lasagna garden

Lasagna gardening- the basics

Lasagna gardening.com – book and blog

Lasagna gardening- step by step guide

No dig vegetable garden

Lasagna gardening made simple

Vegetable Gardening

Old School Gardener

If you’ve enjoyed reading this post and others on this blog, why not comment and join others by signing up for automatic updates via email (see side bar, above right ) or through an RSS feed (see top of page)?

PiocPost: Grow up

palletWhen you see this what do you think – firewood?

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!

Useful links:

Raised beds on the cheap

20 creative ways to upcycle pallets in your garden

Create your own pallet garden

Vertical pallet garden

Pallet Garden competition- great for schools and kids

Pallet gardens for students

More images of pallet projects- Pinterest

Quick guide to making a pallet garden

Creative ways to use pallets in your garden – some novel ones here!

Building a vertical pallet garden- video

How to make pallet garden loungers

Are reclaimed pallets safe to use for raised beds?

Old School Gardener

If you’ve enjoyed reading this post and others on this blog, why not comment and join others by signing up for automatic updates via email (see side bar, above right ) or through an RSS feed (see top of page)?

PicPost: Up on the roof

PiocPost: Harvest Happy

PicPost: Nature imitating nature

PicPost: Efficient Watering

From: Vegetable Growing

PicPost: Grow your own face

From Alex at Norfolk Master Gardeners: ‘Great idea for raised beds – easy, quick and a nice working height for people who have back problems. And with a touch of paint, could look very good in a garden too.

An added idea, is to adjust the depth of the bed, by moving the base pallet down a notch or two. This would be better for deep rooted crops such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc’

PicPost:

‘Two families made a shared vegetable garden from their front yards. They now share the produce & the maintenance. Would you do this with your neighbour?’

From: Growveg

Finding Nature

Nature Connectedness Research Blog by Prof. Miles Richardson

Norfolk Green Care Network

Connecting People with Nature

Discover WordPress

A daily selection of the best content published on WordPress, collected for you by humans who love to read.

Susan Rushton

Celebrating gardens, photography and a creative life

Unlocking Landscapes

Writing, photography and more by Daniel Greenwood

Alphabet Ravine

Lydia Rae Bush Poetry

TIME GENTS

Australian Pub Project, Established 2013

Vanha Talo Suomi

The Journey from Finnish Rintamamiestalo to Arboretum & Gardens

Marigolds and Gin

Because even in chaos, there’s always gin and a good story …

Bits & Tidbits

RANDOM BITS & MORE TIDBITS

Rambling in the Garden

.....and nurturing my soul

The Interpretation Game

Cultural Heritage and the Digital Economy

pbmGarden

Sense of place, purpose, rejuvenation and joy

SISSINGHURST GARDEN

Notes from the Gardeners...

Deep Green Permaculture

Connecting People to Nature, Empowering People to Live Sustainably

BloominBootiful

A girl and her garden :)