Customer Reviews

Lasagna Gardening: A New Layering System for Bountiful Gardens: No Digging, No Tilling,No Weeding, No Kidding!

5 star:		(59)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I believe that when it comes to books presenting new ways of doing anything, the only testimony that counts is that which comes from firsthand experience. Well folks, I'm here to tell you after a year of gardening the lasagna way that my firsthand experience shows this book is one of the wisest investments any gardener can make. Let me tell you about my 2003 garden.

First, a short outline of lasagna gardening technique: soak b&w newspapers in water, then overlap sections in a single layer directly on top of premarked sod area. This smothers the weeds/grass underneath. Then put a 4 inch layer of moistened peat moss over that, followed by a moist layer of organic shredded green material, followed by another layer of peat moss, followed by a layer of moist compost or yard waste, repeat the peat moss/organic matter pattern until your bed is built up to at least 18 inches high. Finish with compost on top, then either let it break down for a few months for certain crops or plant seeds and transplants directly into the matrix by pushing aside layers and inserting. As the layers break down, the earthworms will be eating the sod and breaking up the newspapers, mixing the layers together for you. The final result is an organic, self-tilled soil that's rich and free of disease and weed seeds. It's so simple.

Note: the author did neglect to mention the importance of wetting down each layer as you build the beds. I only figured this out because I had made compost before and I knew you needed moist materials for it to work.

In late fall of 2002 I built a 5 foot by 25 foot border bed for perennial flowers the lasagna way after reading Patricia Lanza's book. It sounded almost too good to be true - no digging, no tilling, no weeding? What was the catch, I asked myself. When I was done I planted perennials taken from four inch pots, watered them in, and left them for the winter rains to take care of (we can do that in So. Cal, hee hee). They settled in nicely and grew steadily, but it was cool weather so the roots were doing most of the growth at that time. A few months later as top growth appeared I was encouraged to build more lasagna beds in my vegetable garden - two 5 by 5 raised beds to go with my other two traditionally tilled raised beds (those were a lot of work, double digging, sifting rocks, mixing compost, etc. I wish now that I had known about the lasagna method a few years ago!). After about two hour's work I was done layering my new vegetable beds and watered them down to compost a little. In late May, I transplanted sweet peppers and basil starts to one lasagna bed and planted cantaloupes and flowers in the other.

Those two lasagna beds outperformed the traditional beds in every way. That summer I harvested more sweet peppers than ever before. It was my first try growing cantaloupes, so I have no previous crops to compare, but they did well and I harvested quite a few delicious, sun-sweetened cantaloupes from that bed. Meanwhile the flowers seemed to love the soil in my perennial bed, and they grew to huge proportions, filling in the space nicely by season's end. As promised, there was little watering and even less weeding. As a bonus, I never fertilized because the soil was already so rich in composting organic matter. Best of all, no soil-borne diseases! This was an organic gardener's paradise.

Author Patricia Lanza uses plenty of real-life examples from her own gardens to illustrate the effectiveness of this technique. She explains in detail how lasagna gardening differs from traditional tilling and double digging, what the benefits are and which crops need to wait while the layers compost down and which can be put in right away. There is an alphabetical listing of ways to plant annuals and seeds in lasagna beds, a plethora of tips on maximizing your space and innovating ways to grow vertically if need be. There are also garden plans for flower borders and perennial beds grouped according to watering and sunshine needs.

Please don't be afraid to break with "tradition" - you could save not only your garden tool budget, but your back as well. And if the promise of all those fruits, veggies and flowers with less work and more pleasure isn't enough for you, then you must really love that rototiller!
-Andrea, aka Merribelle

I really like the concept of this book. The author has taken practices of no-dig gardening, mulching and sheet composting and combined them to come up with an innovative method for quickly creating a productive garden without the back-breaking work traditionally involved.

The first chapter of the book explains the lasagna gardening method -- which involves covering up the ground where you intend to plant with a layer of cardboard or wet newspaper to keep down weeds, then topping this with 1 1/2 to 2 feet of layered organic materials such as chopped leaves, compost, straw, grass clippings, etc. You can plant into this straight away, or cover the beds and wait for the materials to decompose. The lasagna gardening method is simple and really only takes 1 chapter to describe. The rest of the book offers good advice on growing vegetables, herbs, flowers, dealing with pests, and special tips and techniques for making your garden unique. This information is comprehensive and beginners will probably find it useful. But I already own a number of gardening books and didn't find a lot of new ideas here. I would suggest experienced gardeners borrow this book from the library first before deciding whether to buy it.

I do have some reservations about the lasagna gardening method. I live in the city and have recently taken on a large garden plot which is overgrown with weeds and brambles. I have decided against pursuing lasagna gardening, for the moment at least. I don't have very much compost, leaves or straw on hand, and because I don't own a car it would be difficult and impractical for me to transport the large quantities of organic materials needed.

I also strongly disagree with the author's recommendation to use peat moss when establishing garden beds -- from an environmental point of view I feel this is highly irresponsible. It appears from her descriptions that she uses bales and bales of peat herself -- 5 or 6 two-inch layers for every lasagna garden she makes. Peat is not a renewable resource and harvesting it for use by gardeners worldwide has a devastating effect on ancient peat bogs here in Britain. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has campaigned for the past 10 years against the use of peat in gardening because the destruction of peat bogs eliminates birds' habitats. Alternatives to peat are now widely available, and no one who cares about the future of the earth should be using peat in their garden.

I borrowed this book from a friend and fell in love with it! I have one on order. My family and I put in 2- 4 foot squares in less then 4 hrs. We even had it planted!! We all worked together and even my kids had fun doing this "work". They can't wait until I put in some more. I have been putting off, putting in a garden for 5 years now. I don't have a tiller, and our yard is nothing but rocks. It would have taken me weeks to get it ready. If you like gardening, but hate the work, this is the way to go!!!

Usually when reviewing titles we like to keep personal experience out of the review. But for this book, the review would not have been complete without telling the experience of our Founder and Chief Literarian had after using Patricia Lanza's techniques. In fact, it was her running around the office raving about her garden that led us to this book.

Before using this book, our leader had a decidedly brown thumb. After using this book she starting throwing homegrown zucchinis and tomatoes about like water. This book was so easy to understand, so engaging and so up and at `em that any reader who does not get up and immediately begin a hearty search for composting materials must be stuck under something heavy or tied to an immovable object.

Lanza has found the magic formula for growing a green thumb. Make no mistake, this book is written for the beginner but even so, the advanced gardener would certainly find a trick or two between its pages. And yes, we understand lasagna gardening is just sheet composting in pretty overalls. But since we have yet to read a book about sheet composting that is even remotely as interesting as Lanza's lasagna, we'll continue to sidle up to her supper table for another helping.

Grab a helping for yourself, and while you're at it, buy a freezer and a pressure canner. You'll need it.

Composting without the bin is the basic idea behind Patricia Lanza's lasagna gardening technique involving the layering of organic materials to create new, raised gardening beds. Her first chapter explains the technique, theory and materials in detail and is a great how-to guide. However, after the inital explanation, the book turns into a typical, although well organized and nicely written, garden handbook with chapters on vegetables, herbs, berries and flowers. Lanza has a wealth of gardening experience and offers many "tips and time savers" throughout the book. The final chapters include information on gardening for birds, extending the gardening season, and organic approaches to pest control. Finally, Lanza returns to the lasagna technique and adapts it for the reader's use in small and unusual spaces, as well as for container gardening. Although most of us won't have all the materials on hand initially for much more than a small plot, it is worth learning this earth-friendly method, and you may pick up a tip or two from Lanza's vast gardening experiences.

I'm a new backyard gardener and I needed some guidance in planning my new vegetable garden. This book has been extremely helpful! Almost every kind of common herb, vegetable, and flower is highlighted in this easy-to-read, conversational book. So far, I've had success with implementing my own lasagna garden and I feel good that I'm using organic techniques. I haven't had to weed my lasagna beds yet!

The author acknowledges that lasagna gardening is a variation of sheet composting, but this book definitely has its own merits.

Experienced gardeners may want to bypass Lasagna Gardening, but they should recommend it to beginners they know.

I have owned this book for over a year now. I was expecting my second child last year and didn't have the time or energy to do as much gardening as I would have liked. After reading 'lasagna gardening' I got out and made one 20 foot long lasagna bed. It took me a couple of hours. After that I just didn't want to do much because I felt gigantic. I didn't have any compost available so I used fresh chicken and horse manure. My garden was way too hot to actually use that season... I didn't have time anyway. This spring when I went to start a real garden I dug under the straw mulch I had placed over my lasagna bed. I have over 1 foot of the most perfect, weed free soil you have ever seen. Mrs. Lanza talks about using your own compost and then planting immediately. I am sure that is the best way to do it BUT if you are a lazy gardener like myself that doesn't even take the time to make your own compost THIS IS YOUR BOOK! She covers tons of different 'ingredients' for your bed depending on where you live. As soon as I uncovered that beautiful soil I went out and started another 50 foot bed with compost. It took me three hours (don't do it on a windy day) and I plan to plant it in a month or two. This book is an easy read and you can be out and making your own lasagna garden within a few hours. I use it as a constant reference. I can't recommend it enough.

There are countless books available on gardening, and many competing methods which all claim to get the best results. Some are highly readable and help the reader become truly successful and effective gardeners. Most, unfortunately, do not. Based on both my personal gardening experience and some 20 plus years of reading books on the subject, Lasagna Gardening is one of those dozen or so books out there I consider worth having.

It is most unfortunate that Rodale chose to say "A New Layering System..." on the cover, as it seems to have set off a kneejerk reaction from several reviewers. There is, perhaps, truly nothing new under the sun, and the author herself makes no pretense to inventing something new with this book:

"Lasagna gardening is really just another name for sheet composting, a technique where you arrange the same raw compost ingredients in low, broad layers, rather than in higher mounds or containers. The end result is the same; a crumbly, organic rich soil amendment." (pg 14).

What the author does do, very well in fact, is to explain this very useful, labor-saving technique, in terms that the every-day reader can understand, and more importantly, put to use immediately. The idea that newspapers, old paper grocery bags and many other items can actually enrich your garden rather than going into the local landfill IS new to millions of Americans, and Patricia Lanza shows the reader how to use them to make a rich, highly productive garden with less work than more traditional methods.

This book is not just useful for the inexperienced gardener but also contains a lot of useful, if anecdotal information for the more experienced gardener as well (the tips for growing potatoes alone saved me a LOT of work!).No one book has all of the answers, in gardening or anything else. Personally I combine the techniques of 'lasgana gardening' with the methods taught in Mel Bartholemew's Square Foot Gardening and other books - with wonderful results. That's the real test of any gardening book. Results. I recommend this book for any garderner's reference shelf.

Lasagna Gardening is a very helpful book for those who can't dig a garden with a rototiller or tractor. I have been gardening for about 25 years now and always dreaded getting the garden rototilled in the spring. This "no dig" approach is one I am sure going to try. This book is sure to be a must for those of you who garden organically. Highly Recommended! A+++++

I am a gardener since the 1970s. I have two rototillers and all kinds of other garden junk (of course to help me with my chores in the garden). My wife got the book for me and I duely ignored it for over a year. Then, having promised my wife that I would at least read a part of the book, I became facinated with the basic idea. My garden is approximately 45 by 60 ft in size. I took approximately one third of the garden and covered it with a layer of old hay, grass clippings and leaves one fall. the results were good. Not only did I get good results from my planting, I did not have to rototill or cultivate. My wife loves it because she doesnt get her shoes muddy.

After three years trial I am convinced. The tillers will be cleaned up and ready for sale this next spring.
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