[Errol]

this is a 38"x50' raised bed lasagna style. It was built fall of 2011 as all of the lasagna beds in this garden plot was. this bed has 22 tomatoe plants spaced 24" apart with 11 varieties of maters. When the beds were build in 2011 they were 24" high, and this spring had worked down to 10-12" high.

these 2 lasagna beds are 3'x24' and has red potatoes and white potatoes growing. these potatoes are growing in straw, on top of the ground. this picture and above pisture was taken back 1st of may. I have begun harvesting potatoes and seems to be a good crop. the tomato raised bed and the potato raised beds are lasagna and notice neither has boards for sides. I just built them straight up. so you do not have to have sides although most of my beds do have 2x6 or log sides.

this bed is 4'x50' and has yellow squash, crookneck and straightneck, white scallop squash and zucchini

I have 2 of these half barrels, loaded with lasagna bed materials, they set on top of concrete blocks and each have 4 sugar baby mellon plants. they are now loade with blooms and mellons from size of golf balls on up. wont be long now!

I will post more "update" pictures later date. I have ky pole beans, white half runners, turkey craw poles, cherokee trail of tears pole beans, and partridge head pole beans, plus bush limas, bush green beans, bush large limas and black beans. and much more growing..almost too much for an old man! I am interested in others gardens, and how you garden (style) and always interested in trading heirloom seeds... thanks for looking
Errol

 

[ingridg]

Wow! Those look great, how did you get your photos to be so large?

 

[Raindrop]

Been curious about lasagna gardening

I have read some info on lasagna gardening and by your photos it is working beautifully! I am doing container gardening in a secure area to keep the multitude of critters from my future bounty.We are growing potatoes in straw and are looking forward to see how it works.

 

[Errol]

Thanks Ingridg and Raindrop. Ingridg, I don't know how they turn out big, but they do anywhere I post..Raindrop, IMO, lasagna gardening is a really great way to garden and raise veggies or flowers. Since you say you "container" garden, then you also can use the lasagna method. As you can see in the picture with the 1/2 barrel with the watermelon plants of which I have 2 of them I just layered them as if building a regular lasagna bed. Its a great way to container garden and you will have good results. Just remember to add a handful of lime between every couple layers. good luck gardening

 

[JimZ]

What is lasagna gardening?

 

[Errol]

HEY JimZ, Lasagna gardening has been around a long time, a lady here in TN., (Crossville) where she was born and raised. Her name is Pat Lanza and I have her book. I started out using the square foot garden methods but was to much watering for me even though it is a great way to grow veggies. So I kinda incorporated squared foot gardening with Lasagna gardening and with a 3rd method "wide row" gardening. The way I do it I use all 3 in one garden plan. Lasagna gardening is building a raised bed.where I live the soil is not much so I grow on top of it. I start out with whatever size bed I want some of mine are 50 ft long x 4 ft wide, some 4ft x 24' some 4ft x 12', then you can either build using 2x6 or 2x8 boards to form a frame, then I put down 5-8 layers of newspaper (no ad slicks) or you can use cardboard. that is your first layer and goes down over the grass (no digging) then wet down really good, then you just layer down different mulch materials, 2"-4" layers..you want to use 75% more browns than greens (greens =nitrogen) I start off with mulched leaves 3 inches, then a 1 " layer grass clippings, then shredded straw about 4 inches, then rotted sawdust, and then a handfull if agriculture lime then my homemade compost, eggshells you can use whatever you have or can scroung up..just be sure to layer it..its not written in stone, I use no commercial fertilizer, but its nothing wrong with using it, it just that I like mostly organic.. to learn more about lasagna gardening you can type that in search and find out more about it. Its the only way I will ever garden again
Good luck gardening
Errol

 

[jenex]

Hi Errol,
In Australia we call it the no dig garden, great for very stoney land or poor soils.
Jen

 

[maria_e_Resendez]

wow you have a very nice garden

 

[Errol]

thank you all for the nice comments! Jen, No-dig is another name we also use ..and I love it!, My garden is 55' x 50' and I never dig, don't own a roto-tiller...I just add different mulches in the late fall and thru out the year. Is it as hot and dry "down-under" as it is getting here in Tennessee?

 

[JimZ]

Thx. I have been buying potting and garden soils to put into my clay here but this sounds much more cost effective. I also stick with organics. Has to be better for my young kids!

 

[Errol]

You right about that JimZ, potting and garden soil can get expensive..since you container garden, you can use the same mulches, compost that I do in the larger beds..That how I did the 1/2 barrels with the watermelons. And I mulch them heavy with straw. Something else that works for me is making my own garden/potting mix, which works for me in beds or containers is "rotten" and I mean really rotten, black sawdust. there is a country sawmill close to me and I get 3-4 year old rotten sawdust all my 5x8 trailer with 2 ft high sides will hold for $25.00, then there is a place close by that I get creek sand, and lime by the trailer load...the way to mix this is 70% rotten sawdust, 30% sand, and a handful of agriculture lime. mix this really well, and you have a garden soil/potting mix that will grow anything you want. I will also add a couple shovel fulls of grass clippings for nitrogen. thats it..if you can find a little rotten sawdust and a little creek/river sand try it. I bet you will like it!
good gardening my friend
Errol

 

[veggiewhisperer]

I would love to have that kind of space for my garden.