Lasagna gardening preparation is usually done in fall so it can settle over the winter.

Yes, I realize that, Lacey, hence my only doing around 1000 or so sf garden expansion. I'll probably do a similar expansion in Fall, and should have materials closer to hand, I hope.

Many plants will grow fine in fresh lasagna beds, supposedly, so that will hopefully be the case for me as well.

Perhaps this is a bad idea?

I realize, that to do no dig lasagna beds, I'll need around 60 bales of straw, 15 yards of compost, 5 yards of coffee grounds, and loads of cardboard/newspaper, not to mention 5 yards of manure. That's a lot of material to lay down. Is this too much too fast?

That is an enormous amount of material and expensive if you need to purchase. Do you have all that material at hand? Or sources for it for free? (don't know anyone that sells UCG's nor offers them in that type of quantity). You may find it is far easier just to import a soil mix from a local landscape supply to fill your raised beds for spring planting. Yes, there is an expense associated with it but I'm guessing with the quantity of material your are contemplating if going the lasagne gardening route will add up rapidly as well. If necessary, you can amend the soil mix with manures or compost but for planting any edible crop, manures must be very well aged or fully composted as well.

You should also be aware that a good many herbs would prefer a far less organically rich soil than the lasagne process would provide. Many tend to prefer a very lean, even rocky or sandy and extremely well draining soil condition.

Gardengal, as far as herbs go, I noted that many advised a sandy, less organic soil. However, I would like to do this in a no till or with minimal *hard* labor. The herb garden will be planted on the dry side of my back yard, where the soil conditions seem to be in keeping with what most herbs desire, BUT the beauty is that as it gets closer to the house it will be heavier, more organically rich soil, so those herbs and medicinals that prefer richer soils will get them and still be part of the overall herb garden.

How would you recommend I plant /prepare the soil for my herb garden, with minimal upset of the existing soil structure?

Mark-

If you want to get some good plantings done this spring and do less work, I would just try to get the best price on truckloads of soil mix. For most herbs you want a very well-draining mix. But, you can't get the same effect of "layering" sand in a no-till bed. So part of that point is, you're not likely to hand-mix truckloads of sand with topsoil. Nurseries in my area sell several types of "garden mix" which is topsoil and compost. I doubt it is too rich for herbs, and the compost helps it drain well. And I would think that breaking up zillions of bales of hay is a lot of work.

Lay out the design, then either do full-depth buildup of soil mix in all the areas, if the price for soil is okay for you, or, plan to develop your gardens over time--buy enough soil to create one or 2 areas, or whatever, and start building soil with "free" stuff in other areas at the same time. It can be much easier to handle planting and maintenance if you don't develop too many sq feet of garden at one time, unless you have lots of mulch capabilities.

Remember, too, that the depth (height above ground level) does not have to be as great if you are using ready soil, as it would if you were piling up raw materials. So, that would affect your cubic yard estimates. If you skimp a little, you can still start the bed and add more layers of organic material you accumulate through the year (grass clipping, shredded leaves). This may depend on whether you are a compost wacko and cruise for free bags of stuff year-round.

I would note for laceyvail that here's no point to "wait" until fall to start; it's more that, you may not get good results from planting until the bed has matured for some time. So, there's no "right" time to start building a lasagne garden, and the sooner you start, the sooner stuff will be ready. Many times the process is adding layers as materials become available, and not just making a 3-foot tall heap all at once, plus, thin layers added frequently are easier to moisten and also seems to break down and blend in better.

Now, if for some reason you have access to all of that "layer" material for free right now, and find purchased soil too expensive, then by all means just layer it all up. Then you can study up on what types of things are likely to grow (don't have to grow perfectly, and doesn't have to be your ultimate plant goal) in your fresh lasagne bed (particularly if you add pockets of soil in which to plant), so that you may be able to enjoy some types of vegetables, herbs, and flowers even while waiting for it to mature to being ready for other plants.

I guess it will be a lot of work howsomeever you do it, if they dump the soil on your driveway and you have to cart it over to a garden bed.

Of course you don't have to "wait until fall", but for someone who plans to start planting in spring, the usual time is fall. I've been lasagna type gardening for almost 40 years--long before the book came out and the term came into use; I thought I invented it.

So, perhaps I should do a mixture of lasagna beds for tomatoes and peppers and bring in a few yards of soil for the herb garden, corn, beans, and the root crops?

I am trying to go the permaculture/no till route for as much of my garden expansion this year, as possible.

I was thinking of creating the lasagna beds in early/mid April, as that would give a month or so for them to decompose and settle, especially if I cover them with black plastic to help heat them up some.

The herb bed location is in sandy, rather depleted soil. herbs don't necessarily dislike this soil type...many thrive in that. However, it's also difficult to dig. Interestingly, the soil condition goes from sandy, poor soil to heavy, almost clay soil that seems rich, but is a little wet..ok.. a LOT wet. This area will likely need to be raised a few inches, and I plan to place my herbs and medicinals accordingly.

What am I getting myself into???

Bringing in new soil to make raised beds is still "no till" isn't it? You keep saying no till as if it were only connected to lasagne.

KarinL

Well, I guess this is what I'll likely have to do I guess.

Perhaps I can put down a layer of cardboard, then 2-3 inches of soil and 2-3 inches of compost. The herbs are all being grown from seed, so I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Perhaps a thin layer of coffee grounds, then the soil, then compost?

I need to put a layer of something down to block weeds coming through. Of course, the one negative to brining in soil is it will contain plenty weeds to deal with, so, perhaps I shouldn't worry about it. A layer of newspaper would be relatively easy for me to dig through when planting, though.

One other thing. While most recommend an herb garden be planted close to the kitchen, my kitchen is on the North side of the house, so it has to be planted out some. The soil for 30-50 feet out is heavy and tends to wet. So, the herb garden needs to be placed about 40-50 feet from the house, with the outside, distant edge around 70 feet out. I know that's not typical for herb gardens, but placed further out it will present a very pretty point of interest, I think.