Sheet Composting

Sheet composting, also know as lasagna gardening, is a simple no-dig method of building a garden bed.  While it's a simple method, there's a few things that can be done to help ensure you get a bed that is loose and nutrient rich.

Sheet Composting

1.  When to start sheet composting.  You can start a bed at any time of year.  Fall is the ideal time for most gardeners due to the large amount of organic materials available and it will be ready to plant in the spring.

If you decide to make a bed in the spring or summer you'll have to add more soil like materials, such as finished compost, peat moss, coir fiber or topsoil to be able to plant right away.

2.  What materials work well.  Any natural plant materials work well, these can be sticks, leaves, grass clippings, manure, compost and anything else that would be recommended to go into a normal compost pile.

One thing with sheet composting that you will want to do is make the bottom layer either cardboard or newspaper about 10 sheets thick.  This layer will stop any grass or weeds that are covered from growing up through the bed.

3.  Layer different materials for the most nutrients.  You'll want to layer green materials such as grass clippings, vegetable scraps and garden trimmings.  And brown materials such as shredded newspaper, cardboard cut into small pieces, dry fall leaves and sticks.  This will help ensure the bed has a wide variety of nutrients.

Sheet composting is so simple that it's hard to get wrong, plus it creates a loose and nutrient rich bed to grow your garden in. 

If you're interested in learning more about easy and effective methods of gardening then...

Click SecretsOfOrganicGardening.info

Brandon Wilkinson