To address paulns original propostion, I don't think it's a question that has a definitive answer without clarification.....what is "old-time gardening"? How far back does one go? And there are MANY definitions of organic gardening depending on one's philosophy, so which one are we going to agree to use? A lot of the previous comments are valid in a generalized form. The use of manufactured synthetic or chemically derived fertilizers has a pretty recent history when compared to how long man has been farming or growing crops for food. They are really only a by-product of the Industrial Revolution and the "hundreds of years" can actually be reduced to about 200, with the predominance of these fertilizers being widely accepted and used immediately after WWII, when they became cheaply and widely available, as greenwood85 notes. Same with synthetic, manufacture pesticides. And their introduction to the farming or gardening scene was considered at that time to be an enormous boon - a fast-acting, lightweight, easy to apply and easily accessible material that improved and increased harvests. Naturally - without the greater understanding we have now of soil science and the health implications of chemical residues and these products effects on pollution and ecology - they were widely accepted and utilized. It would be pretty hard to go back 50 or 60 years and not find a gardener or farmer that didn't use some form of manufactured fertilizer or pesticide. But even given these considerations, a good many of those gardeners/farmers from previous generations still incorporated what might be best termed "natural gardening" practices - composting, using animal manures, companion plantings, rotational cropping, home remedies for insect and disease controls - along with the manufactured products that at the time seemed like such a great improvement on what they had been doing. And affluence and location played a role as well - poorer farmers in more remote locations tended to use more what they had on hand - the natural methods and products rather than the newer, costly and more difficult to obtain manufactured ones. So I believe it is difficult to make a direct correlation between "old time gardening" and the organic or natural way unless you are going back more than just a 100 years or so.

Bworley, who maintains the garden? I don't know if you have organic nurseries over there but here I assume that plants from nurseries may have been sprayed. Once they're in my garden they don't get sprayed. Has your landlord actually said he wants to use non-organic plants? Is he talking about ornamentals? I think the important thing is what happens once they are planted. Hopefully you are responsible for the maintenance of the whole garden, not just your veggies, and you can choose not to use chemicals. I am against GMO's too. I thought, like some people have said, the GMO plants are crop plants for large farms not people's gardens. I would hope if they start releasing GMO plants for the home gardener they would be required to label them as such so people can choose whether they want to buy them. Perhaps you could find out what the labelling laws are in your area. Plants that have been sprayed in the nursery will become organic if you treat them as such. Plants that are GMO, well, hopefully between labelling laws and the test mentioned in Scientific American, consumers will be able to send a clear message by not buying them.

I did a compost demo at my garden for my local garden group. I have 4 bins, so I showed them the bin where I add new putrescibles, then added a bagful of shredded newspaper to it and -- presto! -- the fruit flies went away. I sifted some finished compost, and they got close to smell it and feel it. But the most exciting part was when I took the cover off a not-quite-ready bin and moved aside the top layer. Everyone ooohed and aahed at the multitude of worms. I think if everyone can learn one or two things from your garden tour, it will be successful. If it's too much to absorb, it may be overwhelming. So if I were doing something like this, I'd have in mind some main points I wanted to make (to appeal to beginners as well as experienced organic gardeners), and then be aware that often people learn best when they can get specific questions answered, so no matter how much preparation you do, some people will think the best part of the tour is something you may not have imagined -- serendipity. (Does that make sense? It's analogous to the kid getting all kinds of fancy presents and then having the most fun playing with the empty boxes and ribbons.) I also went on an organic garden tour last week. Four gardens. 1. A community garden where you get a garden plot (100 sf) by taking a weekly gardening class. It was interesting to see the different trellising strategies. The worm bin was disappointing -- I found only 1 tiny worm. 2. A suburban garden with 4 plum trees in the parking strip (the area between the sidewalk and the curb), and a dozen or so other fruit trees scattered around a mostly ornamental garden. The highlight, though, was seeing a new composting/mulching tool, one of two prototypes built. It's like a big hand blender and hose that shoots water out at 750psi. Get a barrel full of green waste, use the tool, and in minutes it's pulverized and ready to use as mulch or, after sitting for a few days, ready to incorporate into the soil as a "compost." The inventor is talking to the state, in hopes of having this technology adopted to replace spraying roadsides and rights of ways with herbicides. He also says it will be useful for building firebreaks. (Not really a home gardening tool, though.) They have also experimented with pulverizing lawn trimmings, squeezing out all the liquid, and returning it to the lawn, with great results. 3. Another suburban yard, this one with a gardener who has a toddler and does not have much time to spend on the garden. So the front yard had lots of tree collards, the back had lots of arugula, and at other times of the year he grew lots of chard, fava beans, and other greens. He had a 1-page handout describing "low-labor organic gardening": at least 4 inches of mulch, delivered free from tree trimmers; "a dead flower is a living seed"; keep matching plants to their favorite microclimates; try something else until you find the easy ones that match how much time and effort you want to put into your garden. 4. A large suburban lot with tons of corn growing (they ate corn every day of the year, freezing the summer overproduction to eat in the winter), interplanted with carrots earlier in the season and with beans and squash later in the season. This is one of the few gardeners I've met who double-digs every year. He explained that the ornamental plants in the front yard (cacti, hollyhocks, etc.) were grown as biomass for the compost. He collects the yard waste and sends everything through the chipper when he builds the compost pile. His compost pile, which had been run through the chipper the day before, had a thermometer sticking out of it registering 155 degrees F -- very effective. I also put my hand on the pile and could feel the heat. The compost pile sits for a week, is turned, then after another week goes into a bin.

Your plan seems reasonably complete but I would change the order - site prep first (clearing out any existing plantings, layout of features, grading/excavating, lasagna conversion), then the hardscaping. Planting is always the last step in a landscape renovation other than any mulch application. Not sure what kind of lawn type you have now, but if a Bermuda grass, the lasagna method is not gonna work. Even digging out the sod and flipping it over and piling on other layers will not kill the Bermuda. It will remain around forever and create a huge weedy grass issue. If a Bermuda grass lawn, you will need to kill it off somehow before attempting the lasagna layering. Otherwise, I agree that mowing the lawn short is not a requirement but might make work easier. Roger's Gardens in Corona del Mar holds a 'California Friendly' gardening contest each year. These are conversions of water consuming landscapes into eco-friendly, drought tolerant but still lush and attractive waterwise and fire retardant gardens. Whether or not you choose to enter the contest, looking at their album of gardens from previous contest years could be a great inspiration. And they carry a wonderful selection of appropriate plantings. Worth a Sunday drive for a visit if nothing else ;-) And I'd suggest you post in the regional California Gardening forum your request for sources for materials. Locals will have a much better idea of directing you to appropriate vendors for your needs. Craigslist is a good resource as well. As I stated in your previous post, this is really more of a landscape design issue than necessarily one just focused on soils or organic gardening. You've got the concept nailed down pretty well..........it's only the methodology (organic or not) that is up for discussion and it is certainly possible to accomplish your intent without resorting to chemicals. But don't get too wound up in the "organic" mindset. Sometimes this terminology can get confusing and interfere with the most efficient process to achieve your intent. This is more an issue of sustainability or designing your garden to accommodate your climate with minimal input and recycling materials to create the effect you want. And the recycling can/should include the hardscaping and mulching as well as the lasagna layering. Here is a link that might be useful: California Friendly gardens