8/12/08
It’s official: Lasagna gardening really works!
We’re now into harvest so I can finally compare results between my gardens over the years. By far, the lasagna garden has outperformed the soil beds, containers, and hay bales — so much so that a crowding issue has developed. I employed the spacing recommended in the Square Foot Gardening Method, but that needs to be changed to two-foot units or larger. Also, I placed my vegetables according to companion-plant compatibilities without considering height, which created a shadowing effect in spots. So my yield is uneven despite record growth and vigor for my short-season locale.
This, however, is a problem I’m happy to live with! Already I’m planning revisions for next year, meanwhile hauling in copious amounts of peas and beans, and wondering what to do with all that celery. (Carrots and lettuce, which I planted from seed, did not do well this year in all sites, so I’m not holding the lasagna garden accountable for poor germination. But all the seedlings and transplants I put into the lasagna bed are thriving. I anticipate my best crop of tomatoes and red peppers ever.)
One plant that exceeded expectations so radically that I’ve got to relocate it is jerusalem artichoke. This was an impluse buy that I failed to research properly. Jerusalem artichoke is a relative of the sunflower and makes edible, potato-like tubers with a starch safe for diabetics. I bought a dozen and planted them around the yard to see where they’d do best. They’re doing well everywhere, but especially the lasagna garden, where they’re passing 5 feet tall and blocking hollyhocks and sunflowers behind them, while overwhelming neighboring peppers.
I have since learned that they tend to spread vigorously and need to reside where they can run amok. Reference sources disagree on whether you have to replant them in fresh soil each year or leave them in a dedicated bed — probably depends on whether you’re growing commercially. This creates a new head-scratcher, because I’ve run out of garden space. Where can I put them?
If anyone out there has experience with this plant, please chime in. In the meantime, if you’re wanting to start a garden or considering an easier or more productive alternative, try lasagna gardening. It really works!
Carolyn Haley
Author: Open Your Heart with Gardens
Posted by: Opening the heart, gardens, gardening, yard, plants, cultivation — Carolyn Haley
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