Not sure why there should be a problem setting pots down on top of layers of newspaper and cardboard. You can set them down on formica, wood, artificial turf, or asphalt. Makes no difference to the plants in the pots. To the extent the plants in the pots haven't been hardened off outside, putting them outside for a few days, with appropriate protection, before putting them out there permanently in the ground would be smart.

I assume "the process" you're referring to is killing weeds and grass by covering. With newspaper and cardboard, that will take many weeks, you know. Whether or not you have plants in pots holding them down. To actually break down that grass and weeds into a lasagna bed, it's going to take most of a season.

Maybe I'm missing something, but you have a bunch more steps you need to take before you're actually doing any lasagna gardening.

So the plants that will eventually go there are in pots actually on the site where they will be planted. I was aiming to plant in the late summer/early fall so still have some time. I guess I'm looking for the easiest (laziest) way to get the bed ready to plant. :)

Ah, these potted plants are to be set out in the fall? Winter crops, I guess? I'm a little surprised they will survive well in the summer, but I guess it sort of depends on what you've got.

Keeping the soil moist will certainly speed up the degradation process, and it will also encourage any weed seeds to germinate and die along with everything else. If you soak the soil before laying down the newspaper and cardboard, it'll probably stay moist for a long time.

Thanks Dan. It's mainly bare-root hydrangeas that I got for practically free. I went ahead and started them in pots outside right where they will eventually be planted. They seem to like the sunlight there pretty well. My thinking was they could get larger while I got the bed ready, then be ready to transplant in the fall.

I live in zone 7, but it's a little misleading. A large part of the summer will be over 100 but this area is shaded by the house. Will it help if I go ahead and spread around a little compost before putting the cardboard down? Or any other suggestions?

Makes good sense. We're talking perennials. Your plan seems to be sound. Spreading compost is never a bad thing to do and would help "seed" the bed with the kind of bacteria that you'll need to do the degradation. You can spread some on top of the cardboard and newspaper as well, and keep it moist. That will help them break down.

Thanks! Now I have a project for tomorrow morning! :)

I would wet the bed area soil, lay down then wet down the cardboard/newspaper, then place the compost on top of the paper to hold it all in place. Are you planning any other layers?

Are you doing this inside a frame? If so and you have room I would also cover a 3-4ft perimeter around the bed w/the paper/ compost covering.

I've not grown hydrangeas are they tolerant of shade?

Where in the world are you, cooper?

A little compost will not be enough to hold the newspaper in place, although the potted Hydrangeas may help some, you need a lot of some mulch material to do that. Wetting the soil and the newspaper is not necessary, what will kill off the grass and "weeds" is blocking those plants access to sunlight which the paper does quite well. Keep in mind that plants need water to move nutrients and giving them water may extend the time needed to kill them.

Hydrangeas do no0t like too much sun an need less in the south than in the north. Hydrangeas here in Michigan could take a full day of sun (that is changing with climate change) while In Tennessee they will need some shade.

Thanks! I am in southern New Mexico. They will get a couple of hours of morning sun, which is quite intense here. So dappled shade early, then full sun for a couple of hours after the sunlight tops the trees, then bright shade after the sunlight goes past the house.

< then bright shade after the sunlight goes past the house.>

I like that ;-)

The water will evaporate fairly rapidly if there is some wind, so using water to attempt to hold the newspaper in place simply will not work, been there, done that. What will hold the paper in place is a mulch of some kind of 4 to 6 inch thickness.

What cooper is doing has nothing to do with Lasagna Gardening.

<smile> The water is used to hold the paper/cardboard in place only long enuff to get the mulch or in this case compost in place, silly.

I live pretty high up where there is a constant breeze and it worked for me. I should have added that I use one of those gallon hand pump sprayers and rainwater. So you kind of mist the papers as a temp hold, it is not a glue or a permanent place holder by any means.

If you are doing this on beach I guess you could encounter diff problems or if you have never done it and "think" it won't work.

Cooper, the wonderful thing about gardening is you can do whatever you want in your garden. I think some people are still groggy (hung over) early in the AM.

Thanks, gumby. I did do it my way! I'm feeling kinda like Frank Sinatra! :)

My experience:. The cardboard thing works very well in suppressing weeds. Otherwise, conventional composting produces compost more efficiently.

No reason you can't do both.