4/22/08
As if to make up for the preceding months, the weather is now bestowing all of its good graces upon us. The corresponding urge to plant, unfortunately, must be suppressed. What’s comfortable and inspiring for humans is not always good for seeds and seedlings. In fact, April is when the subsurface soil is at its coldest temperature of the year.
Nevertheless, peas can be planted “as soon as the soil is workable,” so in they go! I favor snow peas over shell peas, but either type can be the first crop of the season. In this case, they are the groundbreaking crop for my new lasagna garden.
Lasagna gardening is a cultivation method published by Pat Lanza in 1998. It’s basically sheet composting: building soil in layers, reminiscent of preparing lasagna in a baking dish. Instead of layering noodles, tomato sauce, cheese, however, you layer peat moss, lawn clippings, brush, compost, straw — whatever you’ve got lying around. No digging required, you just build your layers on top of the ground, then plant and mulch.
I assembled my first lasagna bed last fall then let it steep over the winter. Here’s how it went together:
*Â I marked out the desired area on the ground (10×4, with actual planting space around 9×3, owing to space taken up by the supports I use, and a border area for companion plants).
* Filled a pail with water and dropped newspapers into it. Laid out the sodden squares atop the soil (in this case, packed sand), several sheets thick. This is to create a smothering barrier beneath the garden, discouraging grass and weeds from poking through.
* Gathered the yard waste I’d compiled around the property over several years. Many wheelbarrow loads.
* Purchased two cubes of peat moss.
* Started layering, using the peat moss as the “noodles” in between layers.
* Topped with leaves raked up from the yard.
* Placed a stake at each corner and ran foot-high chicken wire around the perimeter.
The whole exercise took up a sunny afternoon, at a leisurely pace with many breaks.
Planting peas took about a minute to poke 12 holes into the surface and drop seeds into them. I covered them by scuffing the loose material over the holes, then covered the row with wire mesh to prevent nocturnal feeders from rooting around. Rigged a little trellis for the peas to climb, made from found materials. I will water them lightly once a day until they germinate or the rains return, whichever comes first.
As the spring advances, planting the rest of my vegetables will be just as simple. Judging by other people’s results with this system, I should have a nice crop this year.
We’ll see in a few months!
Carolyin Haley
Author: Open Your Heart with Gardens
Posted by: Opening the heart, gardens, gardening, yard, plants, cultivation, spring — Carolyn Haley
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