Growing in lasagna is a technique ignored by many amateur gardeners which nevertheless deserves to be known. Practiced since the 90s, it is very easy to understand and allows substantial savings to be made. In addition, this practice coming straight from America is ecological. Let’s see in detail how to implement this fashion the cultivation on alternating layers of compostable materials which makes it possible to recycle its waste and benefit from surprisingly abundant harvests.
Culture in lasagna: what is the principle?
The concept is based on the establishment of a culture medium consisting of superimposed layers. Each of them is composed of specific compostable materials, namely either green waste rich in water and nitrogen, i.e. brown waste that is to say dry and well provided with carbon.
By alternating the layers in the same way as you do to prepare a good dish of lasagna, and imperatively ending with a layer of potting soilwe get a support de culture ultra fertile without spending a penny and you can suddenly grow anything you want in a place where, without this technique, nothing could have grown. It is therefore a smart solution for recycling many of its waste.
Culture in lasagna: in which cases to use it?
It is a technique to adopt without delay to to be able to cultivate vegetables, fruit or flowers on a non-cultivable area, such as the roof, the balcony, the terrace, a cemented area, an ungrateful ground, a ground of extreme poverty, etc. Thanks to the culture in lasagna, everyone can therefore create a garden and enjoy its beautiful and good products. Of course, this technique does not allow you to cultivate over a large area, but you can still plant enough to meet the needs of your family or vegetate an outdoor space. first incultivable.
It should be noted that gardening in lasagna makes it possible to quickly obtain big yields or some lush ornamental plants, and that the method is extremely simple to apply. Moreover, it is an unstoppable technique for all latecomers who have skipped the recommended time for sowing or planting. Lasagna culture is unparalleled for catching up.
Culture in lasagna: how to implement this technique?
We begin by delimiting the area that we wish to reserve for the lasagne cultivable. To do this, we recycle old boards with which we make a formwork. But stones, a few logs also do the job very well. Of course, installing a border is not mandatory. Note that creative gardeners can give free rein to their imagination because the lasagna garden can take any shape and become an outdoor decorative element. But all the plantations must still be accessible so that picking and harvesting are easy, as is maintenance, however minimal it may be.
The method to follow to create a lasagna-style mound is the following.
- Step 1: work the soil if necessary to level it, weed carefully if it is fallow, in short, clear the way.
- Step 2: lay neutral boxes, without any inscription in ink, devoid of glue, tape, labels or other, so as to completely cover the area intended to be cultivated. We make sure that the boxes overlap well so that we no longer see the ground at all since this first perfectly uniform layer must hide the light.
- Step 3: moisten the boxes that form the first layer.
- Step 4: cover all the boxes with a thin layer of manure or small branches, 3 cm maximum. This step is optional even if it is very useful since it will subsequently promote the decomposition process, the importance of which is known for the life of the soil.
- Step 5: make a layer of fresh green waste 7 cm high. The role of these organic materials is to providenitrogen to plants. It may include, among other things:
- peelings,
- grass clippings,
- leaves,
- Cultivated or wild green waste…
- Step 6: spread a layer of brown materials about 10 cm thick, constituting the essential carbonaceous dry matter and water it abundantly. We deposit there, in mixture:
- Fragmented ramial wood (RCW) obtained by crushing branches after pruning trees and shrubs,
- sawdust,
- dead leaves,
- bark,
- hay,
- Straw,
- Small pieces of neutral cardboard…
- Step 7: repeat steps 5 and 6, one or more times depending on the volume of materials available. Water copiously and systematically each layer of brown materials before covering it, it is very important to promote the process of decomposition. Also think about adding at least twice a few small handfuls of wood ash (no barbecue) to bring phosphorus and potassium to the crops.
- Step 8: finish the lasagna with a layer of 10 cm of enriched soil in manure or in mature compost.
- Step 9: plant in stride what we want.
- Step 10: water and let grow. Very good surprise guaranteed after only a few weeks!
You have to be able to get a total height about 50 cm and respect the following proportions: 35% fresh material et 65% dry matter. Another detail not to be neglected, once the planting is finished, the good idea is to put a mulch. This will allow for less frequent watering later.
Lasagna garden: how to maintain it?
Ultra easy to create, this vegetable, aromatic or ornamental garden is also very simple to manage. We quickly become addicted to it because it requires little care. So you don’t need to devote a lot of time to it, even in summer.
In fact, the maintenance of a lasagna garden is mainly limited to watering: substantial before planting (and absolutely essential), quite generous after planting, especially in summer, and regular but all in all moderate thereafter, especially more if care has been taken to opt for mulching: the growing medium remains fresh longer. And since it is also extraordinarily loose, the weeding turns out well easier in a lasagna-like mound than in a traditional garden. It is therefore effortless to manually extract the weeds. No need for weedkiller.
This cultivable soil is extremely fertile. It boosts plant growth and greatly improves yields. It is particularly indicated for all nutrient-dense vegetables. So everyone can quickly and easily produce zucchini, aubergines, tomatoes, spinach and many other species. Thanks to the culture in lasagna, we obtain magnificent products from the garden without ever using fertilizers.
Under these conditions, it is more encouraging to teach children to garden because the result is breathtaking without the need to devote a lot of time to this activity. Vigorous plants grow quickly and are very resistant to pests and diseases. Fruits and vegetables abound, ornamental plants are overflowing with flowers. Enchantment and pride are at the rendezvous…
Finally, let us know that the lasagna garden being a temporary permaculture mound, it can be moved from one year to another as long as only non-permanent species and varieties are grown there. But no matter where it is, it allows the beginner or experienced gardener to get great satisfaction without a big budget.
Photo credit: Natural