sorry the pictures did not come out here. don't know why for I post on other forums and pictures always comes thru. anway this did not really belong here.
Tom

Many of us have done lasagna beds. This is a fine place to post your pics. Lots of folks would like to see them.

Karen

Those look like good beds Tom. Could you tell how you prep'd them? I've done raised beds but not lasagna beds (I tilled the soil before setting up the wood sides and then filled with top soil, compost and composted manure).
Looking back it would have been alot easier to do lasagna.
Thats also a good number of beds. How did you get the material to stay up so evenly?

I love LBs. I rarely pay full price for books, but once I read the reviews on the Lanza book and went out and got one right away. It's a great book with simple ideas, I really like it.

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Now that Eileen got me on the right track for posting pictures on GW, here they are! lol,
But I never had to do this way on some other forums, thank you Eileen!!
Tom

Just passing along what Neil/v1rtu0s1ty taught me, Tom. Glad it worked for you. Those are some amazing-looking lasagna beds too!

I built these back in sept and 1st of oct of this yr. They were 24" high, but has already worked down to around 18-20 ", Nancy, I would think this way would be easier. I dont own a tiller at all. these beds are veggie beds for spring of 2012. All my flower beds and veggie beds this yr were lasagna. Living where I do in a rural community I have access to cow/horse manure, all the big rolls of straw and hay that I want and cheaply too. The long bed is 38inches wide x 50 feet long, thats going to be the tomato bed. there are 10 more beds ranging from 4x8, 4x4,4x6,3x6's. for flower beds I never go 24" high, but only 8-12" high. some beds have 2x8inch sides but only because I had the extra lumber. the 50 ft long one does not have sides. Since I have woods, I have lots & lots of leaf mold, lots of good composted leaves, old hay, old straw, and I save all my grass clippings. I dont use peat moss. I do use hardwood chips that have been composted. I dont even use a hand trowel to set out plants, just pull the mulch back and plant. I have planted flowers the same day I build a bed, and it done great just like the book says!, I have probably bored you all long enough, lol, I could go on forever! My cottage garden done so well this yr with all the lasagna beds that our community beautification group ask me to write an artical in the local paper about it which I did. Now in march I was ask to give a hands on demo for year 2012. not bad for a beginner gardener. thank all of you for your help you have given me! I bet if I do good with WS they will want to learn that to, altho I told people about this site and all the helpful people!
have a wonderful day
Tom

Nice job. I agree, I love lasagna beds.

Karen

Very,very nice..Good job on the lasagna beds...

Thanks for the info Tom. And congrats on the newspaper article and demo invitations!

Your beds look great Tommerol. I am envious of your full sun and open space. I have large gardens but limited sun, and have had to do a tremendous amount of work over the years clearing and digging out invasive plants and tree roots, all by hand. Not to mention, paid for major tree work twice just to have the sun there is now. I don't ever use a tiller, and when I discovered "lasagne" or sheet composting and smothering with cardboard it made gardening much easier.

It takes awhile to fully break down and feed the soil micro-organisms, but you will not believe how rich and fertile your beds will become with all that organic matter.

I hope next year you'll post pics of those beds with their plants, especially the WS toms, should be awesome. Thanks so much.

T

I've just been topping off my bed these last few days. Fall is always a layering time with the last of the grass clippings and fall leaves.
Your beds are awesome. Can't wait to see them fill up.

Tom, your beds are beautiful and not boring at all. I remember photos of your cottage gardens from start to present and it was very encouraging to see the progress. Have you ever used the lasagna method to choke out bermuda grass? Success? In this I need encouragement! Congrats on the recognition and opportunity to teach about ws and no-till gardening. Linda

Linda, we will see what happens with bermuda grass for that is where these lasagna beds are over! so we will see. now where I built the beds for the cottage garden it has no bermuda, only fescue. but none came up in it. On the bermuda, I did put 8-10 thickness of newspaper instead of just the normal 3-5 layers. The 50 ft bed in the picture I did dig a 3 inch deep by 6 inch wide trench all the way on each side, because there are no side boards on that one. that should help control the bermuda somewhat, plus catch more water when it rains. So it will be interesting to watch the bermuda, but I have high hopes in controlling it.I'm hoping at 24 inch depth of the beds that it will smother the bermuda. We will see!! Linda I would guess where you want your lasagna bed, you could, with a flat spade take the bermuda grass up, cover with thickness of several newspaper or cardboard, build your bed then did a trench around it like I did. I know the bermuda will try to cross the trench, but then just take your spade and cut it back .
so far in the couple months these beds have been built, no bermuda has shown up nor cross the trench yet.
thanks

Tom - there's a book you might like to put on your Christmas wish list: Trowel & Error by Sharon Lovejoy. It includes over 700 Tips, Remedies & Shortcuts for the gardener. I bought it for myself, then bought 3 more copies for garden friends/family. It has common sense, non-toxic ideas for tackling all sorts of garden challenges as well as some time/effort saving ideas. It was a hit with everyone I gifted with it.

Eileen, thanks for the tip! I will look on ebay first, thats where I buy most of my books, there and thrift stores. You would be surprised at some of the garden books (all hardback) that I have found and bought at thrift stores. most were sold new at retail for 29.99 up to $35.00. and in new condition. I bought an arm load of "garden gate" magazines, from 1991 thru 1995 for 10 CENTS each at a thrift store in a town near me! I subscribe to it and it is nothing near that price.

thanks again for the tip
Tom

Nice job of your garden. I do the same with horse manure straw and any free bales I can find or those that go bad before the horses get them. It is such a easy way to build a wonderful garden in soil and mulch. I just keep mulching mine with old hay and straw to keep weeds down.

Makes the most wonderful soil for tomatoes to grow in. Loved the pictures of yours. Building a new garden for my veggies and flowers and every thing is going into that spot this winter. Swear it was a parking lot before it turned into my garden.

mlcom, sounds like you do just like I do with the beds. I built my 1st lasagna beds the fall of 2010,these you see in the pictures are going to be my veggie garden for 2012. everything is organic, I use no fertilize nor any type of sprays. I do use epson salt on some veggies, This coming yr I am going to try a little "alfalfa meal around tomatoes and peppers.
thanks
Tom