1. how long ago did you prepare this soil that is not allowing plants to "take off"?
2. How you build up the various layers is unimportant.
3. No, you plant in the material you piled up.
Spend some time at the web site the link below will take you to.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lasagna Gardening 101

West: Materials don't need to be in layers. I try to have mine mixed because they seem to break down better, faster, and more uniformly. (I do that with my compost, too, and mixing eliminates big clumps of leaves here, big clump of grass clippings there...)

If you plant in a fresh lasagna you will be planting in the mulch as Kimmsr said. But if you build the bed in fall and don't plant until spring chances are you won't be able to find the cardboard- it will be consumed by then.

I've had the best results (faster breakdown) by covering the top with burlap and keeping moist- "interbay mulch".

Karen

I've tried the lasagna/compost-in-place without luck. I think it would work famously in the northeast where it rains enough to keep it damp, but here in the west it's too dry for that method to work.

You should test your soil to find out the basics about its chemistry - NPK pH. If it's low in P, add bone meal. Sulfur will lower its pH.

I'm not sure what we're doing differently, but I've had good luck with lasagna gardening. I'm not growing a lot of different things, but what I've grown has done well.

Not to change the subject, Idaho Gardener, but how could lasagna gardening not work? What do you mean? The main materials I put into my lasagna beds are leaves, old produce (in quantity) and horse manure. Those things all contain some moisture on their own, and hold water fairly well, so given the same amount of water as regular garden soil, I don't see how they could "not work." They have so many nutrients and are so fluffy compared to plain old dirt. What did you put in your layers, I am curious.

Marcia

Marcia and Green,

Over the sod of the lawn, I laid grass clippings, mowed leaves, a layer of cardboard, more grass clippings, and the soil that was in the bottom of a raised bed.

It dries out and sits there without changing. I put water on the soil that's on top of the whole mess in hopes that it will soak in and cause the layer below to decompose, but I think it will take a year at least before that 'bed' can be used.

In a previous attempt, I did the same type of layering of materials, but topped it with a thick layer of compost. I attempted to grow melons in that disaster, but the only ones that grew were the ones on the edge where they could find some other soil to root in.

In comparison, I also have a double-dug bed, and a tilled bed. Both were amended with compost, UCG, and bone meal, and both are quite productive.

IG,
I think you have your layers mixed up...cardboardor thick layers of newspaper (well watered/soaked) should go down on the sod first, then layers of organic materials/soil. To plant right off the bat, dig a hole, add some soil, and plant away!

Everything I've read about LG is in that order.

I also put down cardboard on the bottom, mulch on top.

For moisture, I wet as I build the material. First wet the ground, then add wet cardboard. (Soaking cardboard in a tub of water first helps). Then I add organic materials on top of that, wetting frequently as I build the pile, like every 2 or 3 inches. Then I moisten the top daily if it doesn't rain.

It would be very hard to get the whole hump wet after it's built.

Karen

I'm in the northeast, and my layers didn't break down either. I layered my current bed back in October - I've added all kinds of stuff - melons- other veggie scraps, eggs, newspaper, grass, leaves (whole and mowed), chicken poo...

While he layers didn't break down much (esp the cardboard and whole leaves - they're still totally whole!) the melons seem to have disintegrated, the grass clippings are gone and the garden is SO fruitful.

Everything is doing very well.

I've been watching this thread because I too am a newbie to lasagna beds. I see much helpful information. I do have a question, well many but I'm only asking one.

I have rocky clay soil and thought I would try this lasagna thing. I actually scalped the bermuda from the area but added it back to the lasagna. I started with layers of newsprint. Then added things I already had on hand. I used the soil from the prep work, pine mulch, moldy leaf debris from the rock pile you see in the pic, leftover soil from planters including the deadroots in it, some shredded paper, had about 20 lbs of regular potting soil. Then I went to the frig and found some spent celery, lettus and some green onions. Chopped this up and added the salad to the mix. I tossed it all together and added it the bed.

I soaked the paper before adding any of my mix and kept watering as I was adding the mix. It was rather soupy.

Now, here's my question. I then covered it with black plastic and lined the edges with brick. I thought that baking the lasagna would speed up the break down process.I have read that others use clear plastic. Is that just to be able to see whats going on underneath or does it have to do with the sun actually getting to the mulch mixture?

I finished the bed Wed. night (7-16-08) and last night I looked under the plastic which had lots of heat escaping but it seemed dry so I sprayed more water under there.

Oops, Guess I had 2 questions.

1. Color of plastic to cover?

2. Should I spray with water to keep it moist?

Before I started

{{gwi:296951}}

Bed with some soil mixture, I added more.

{{gwi:296952}}

Covered with the black plastic

{{gwi:296954}}

I don't mean to barge in someone else thread but I thought others looking for information may appreciate finding it in one location.

Please advise.

Happy gardening to all,
Deb

I wouldn't cover it in plastic at all. That could keep too much air out and cause it to start smelling bad.

Some people use clear plastic in sun to kill weeds, grass, etc, but I don't think it's used for lasagna gardens.

Thanks bpgreen. I am going to take the plastic off. Like I said I am new to this.

Thank you for your expertise and advise.

Deb

you could throw the black plastic over the bed to retain some moisture, but like previously mentioned it will smother, so don't weigh it down. covering the bed might help if you have hot dry weather like i do, and the moisture will help the layered materials break down faster.
oh yeah, and the black plastic draws heat, i don't know if this would help break stuff down faster or not.

Deb - I'm not sure how deep yours is but it should be at very least 10-12" deep - preferably deeper.

OH NO! Didn't know that, it's only about 7-8". Guess I need to add more material. Thanks for the guidance msyoohoo. I welcome all advice.

West..I have bermuda under there and thought the black plastic would add heat along with the lack of sun would kill the grass quicker.

I have so much to learn...glad you all are here to lend a guiding hand.

Deb

If moisture is an issue....

A deeper pile has less moisture issues because there is less air surface for evaporation. If you are not going to use your bed this season, you could rake what you have into a pile (right there in the bed that it's in), dig a well in the center of the pile and throw your kitchen scraps in the well every few days. The food scraps add nitrogen and moisture. It is amazing how things break down and disappear so quickly.

As for the plastic, you could probably leave it "as is" to cook the Bermuda grass even more quickly with direct sun.

I hate to say this, but you will never kill the Bermuda grass with lasagna gardening. Never. Ever. Ive tried for years. I finally gave up, and just Round Up'ed. Its the only thing that will kill it. You can expect Bermuda to pop up thru all the lasagna; either pull it out, or spray with Round Up.