For those of you that know me, I have been talking about starting a garden for 2 months now. I was looking for a way to do it inexpensively, and I found out that time is the best resource you can have. I borrowed countless books from the library and read one about lasagna gardening. So I have decided to start a few lasagna beds that will be ready by next spring. The amazing thing about it is that you don't have to buy any soil. You can layer different matter and after it sits for a while you are rewarded with rich compost.
To make my lasagna beds I bought four 2x4 foot raised beds at a recycling center for $2 a piece.
I got newspaper from family, and the recycle bin at my local grocery store. I soaked it in water and laid it out in each of my beds. It is to stop the grass and weeds from growing.
We have a local farm that raises pasture fed beef. I emailed them the other day, and they graciously let me come and shovel up 2 containers worth of manure for free.
We have been saving grass clippings from mowing the lawn in a pile at the edge of the property, and I also have a pile of food scraps that I have been saving.
I had the dog out with me, and I thought he was going to be okay, but then he starting munching on a rotten banana peel and I had to take him inside. He is just so curious. :)
These are the finished beds. Or at least what I had the supplies for yesterday. These have a thick layer of newspaper, a layer of grass clippings, food scraps, manure, dead leaves, and a final layer of grass. I am going to get more manure, more grass, more leaves, and hopefully get some free coffee grounds from starbucks. I read that as it decomposes it settles down a lot, and so the ideal is to get it up to 24 inches. I am at 6 inches, so I have a ways to go. But thankfully, I live in GA and snow won't keep me from being able to add to it in the next couple of months as I get more supplies.
So far I have spent $8 on my garden and I will be keeping track of how much I spend, and how much I save with the produce that I will gain from having a garden next year.
Any suggestions on what I should grow??
This post is a part of Simple Lives Thursday hosted by Wardeh at GNOWFGLINS!
This looks very interesting. I've gardened for 4 years now in a community garden and I've heard about lasagna gardening before but didn't know much. Your pictures and explanations are really great!
ReplyDeleteI do lasagna gardening, but I do top it off with some "garden soil" from a landscaping company. It makes it so much easier to plant things in the spring. You might want to check into and see if your city offers free compost. Granted, it's not going to be organic, but it is free. Our city's compost is not fully composted, so you get a lot of bigger branches/sticks, etc. I built several beds last August and this August, the soil is wonderful, full of worms. So full in fact, my darn chickens won't stay out LOL.
ReplyDeleteMay you lasagna gardens grow many delicious veggies and fruits for you next year!
ReplyDeleteThat's amazing you were able to get recycled boards! There are wait lists here in Seattle and your name never comes up. A victim of too much greening, no doubt. Good luck with the beds!
ReplyDeletexo, Sustainable Eats