Lasagna Gardening

 Lasagna Gardening! I love it! This is a no-till, low-labor method to build a nutrient rich soil that retains more moisture. Basically, you build layers. Here, I built the layers on top of an already existent garden bed. You could also build this directly on top of grass.. rather than digging up and removing the grass, you can build these layers directly on top of your lawn. It's like... so awesome.

 If I were building a new bed on top of grass, I would have started with a layer of recycled paper and cardboard. Instead I layered straw, leaves and pine needles on top of the garden bed. You could also add grass clippings.

On top of the leaves I added vegetable & fruit scraps! I've been collecting scraps all winter in the backyard and because its been so cold they haven't broken down yet. But hey, thats fine! They'll decompose in the garden bed & the worms are going to looove it!

Next, I raked in a layer of peat moss. This stuff is controversial because it isn't being sustainably harvested. IN the future, Ill use coco peat, which is broken down coconut husks, but since that wasn't available, I went with the peat. These amendments provide aeration and hold on to lots of moisture.

After the peat I spread one handful of bloodmeal over the whole bed. A little bit goes a long way. I've never used bloodmeal before, and as a vegan.. I suppose it could be controversial. This stuff is a slaughterhouse bi-product (I can't believe I just said that) and is permitted as a certified organic soil amendment. It adds TONS of nitrogen, acts as a compost activator and also deters rabbits. I couldn't help myself! These plants are so spoiled.
 Hose it down ya'll.

Then I added a new layer of topsoil and hosed it down as well. Next weekend we'll top it off with horse manure and mulch. The flowers are going to be so happy!