No personal experience with it as I prefer transplants but according to the book and previous discussions on it you can plant seeds immediately.

"Sowing seeds is easy, too. Put finished compost over the area you want to plant, sow the seed, and cover it with a little more of the finished compost. Press down on the bed to secure the seeds and water thoroughly."

I think I'd put a layer of mixed seed starting mix and finished compost, then the seeds, and then more of the mixture compost on the top. Just a suggestion. Good luck. ;)

Hop over to the Soil, Compost & Mulch Forum. Many have used the method there and you'll likely get more of a response. It likely depends on the materials you're using and what stage they're at.

Thank you!!!! I'll be at the starting stage. Got to get it done and then plant the transplants and the seeds. I just needed to know if the seeds would do ok since the paper and cardboard wouldn't be broken down yet.
Thanx again. I will go check the other forum out as well. :)

If you have enough growing medium on top, say 4 inches or so, then it might work so long as the paper and cardboard are not stacked right next to each other and there is organic matter like grass clippings, manure, leaves, etc in between. But usually people "start" from scratch in the fall so that the bed is ready to plant in the spring.

The link below might give you some information about how to do what you want to do.

Here is a link that might be useful: Instant Beds

Man this is SOOOOO interesting! A friend of mine made him a thing to attach to his tractor for getting the sod up. He needed to sod an area in his yard and he needed lots of sod so he went to the back side of his pasture and dug the sod with the thing he made and planted it in his yard. I might just have to check this thing out he made to see IF I can get my DH to make me one for my lawn tractor because I wont be able to turn the sod and dig in it like you're talking about with my bad back. I love this idea though and thank you soooooo much for sharing it with us. It sounds much easier than the lasagna gardening one. Which by the way, bought the book last year. lol
Thank you again!

You might be interested in the SFG methodology as well. Many at the GW SFG Forum use lasagna gardening in their beds. But the original way is quicker and you don't have to deal with your existing soil at all.

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We grow vegetables in raised beds and every year add a few inches of sifted 2 year old compost to the beds and till it in properly. To me the lasagna method is a bit of a crock in terms of the agricultural theory behind it. It appeals to people who are too for lack of a better word, lazy, to prepare their garden beds properly and are just looking for a quick fix. To me it is applying the "TV dinner" mentality to gardening.

Hey Kubotabx2200, good to see you around! Where ya been? Have pics to post at the Asian Vegetable Forum? We miss you there.

The thing about lasagna method is that's it's accessible to people who don't have tillers and tractors. (Unlike some people... *wink*) Think of this way, you layer your compost materials instead of having a "compost pile". People with enough materials can get a bed going pretty quickly.

Hi Violet, thanks for the welcome back. It's nice to be remembered. I have been hibernating like the local bears but now that it is spring I will be back on gardenweb. I will post the garden photos in the Asian gardening forum too. This is going to be our best year ever in the garden, the spring is a good warm spring here for the first time in years. It will all be planted over the next 2 weeks. The winter here lasted a really long time but when spring arrived it came in with a bang.

yup kubotabx2200, some may see it that way but it's really a job either way you look at it. Actually I'd WHOLE LOT rather just till the thing up and be done with it, but some of us don't have a tractor or a tiller so we have to do the best we can do. Plus my soil is soooooo sandy this way would probably be much better for it anyway.

In fact to tell the truth, I find it MUCH harder to do it this way than just till it up. BUT our soil is sandy and it doesn't retain the water OR the nutrients so this is very good for me because it helps my soil hold the nutrients as well as the water. Plus out in my ducks pen, you should SEE all the worms!!! Why, you ask, because I keep putting leaves and straw out there for the ducks to sit on in the winter and also to keep their eggs clean in the summer and the worms are just lovin it out there turning all that stuff into the soil! Everytime I pick up one of their watering bowls to clean it and refill it there is red worms under it.

I built a lasagna garden this spring and have direct sowed seeds into it two ways. For my lettuce I made trenches in the mulch and filled them with potting soil. Then I sowed my seeds into that. The lettuce is doing great! We ate some of it tonight. For the rest of the seeds (marigolds, nasturtiums and forget-me-nots) I just sprinkled the seed on the mulch to see what would happen. I should have known. Nada!

So if you are going to direct sow seeds, make a little earthy place for them to start.