Keep the layering about a foot away from the trunk.

You can plant immediately if you want to. Just dig through the layers.

have a look at how we do our beds, i reckon you could do this around the cherry tree, but as said by 'lazygardener' keep it away from the trunk a bit for me 6"s would be enough it is only to prevent causing collar rot.

oh just an aside the roots of the tree will most likley invade the garden medium, but if the garden is only for annuals etc.,. then that may not matter a lot. also not good to do too much digging around the feeder roots of fruit trees.

len

Here is a link that might be useful: lens garden page

Thanks guys! Great website Len. I'll be visiting often!

I've not heard of the lasagne method - sounds like layering plant trimmings etc? Could you describe?

I just want to add that you have to be careful about planting around a tree - it's not only the collar rot to be concerned about. If the plants you plant need more frequent watering than the cherry, it may cause root problems, waterborn fungal or bacterial disease in the root zone, which will kill it. This is the reason why some trees cannot accept lawn watering conditions - the lawn watering is too shallow and too frequent...

You need to be concerned about the area called the drip line- the rule of thumb is that the above ground part of the plant will be mirrored by the area the roots take up.
I lost a cherry due to overwatering once...

That most likely will depend on how deep you make that Lasagna bed. I have seen where someone has made a ring of blocks about a couple of feet out from the trunk of a tree and then leveled the soil around the rest of the area to a depth of about a foot and had the tree die after about 3 or 4 years, just whether that was from the soil suffocating the roots or it that was from the dozers movement around the tree (the compaction from heavy equipment will kill trees) as it leveled the soil can never be known, for sure.
I would not build up a planting bed around a tree unless I could replant that tree.

g'day jeannie,

yes it is a layering system(sheet mulching) all the same in the end as raised bed gardening and square foot gardening, instead of digging or tilling and without the need to physically remove lawn whatever you lay the mulch in a sheet form usually no wider than around 4' to define the width of the bed.

check our raised bed process it will give you a better idea.

len

Here is a link that might be useful: lens garden page