Any one familiar with composting techniques for raised garden beds?
March 30, 2009 by Composting
Filed under Composting Q&A's
The Grand Inquisitor asked:
Are you familiar with the Lasagna Garden technique? Layering raised beds with carbon-rich (dried leaves/straw) and nitrogen-rich (grass clippings, kitchen waste) materials then composting it in the beds. Within 6 weeks you are supposed to be able to plant directly into the resulting compost. I put up about 500 sq feet of these beds last week.
Are you familiar with the Lasagna Garden technique? Layering raised beds with carbon-rich (dried leaves/straw) and nitrogen-rich (grass clippings, kitchen waste) materials then composting it in the beds. Within 6 weeks you are supposed to be able to plant directly into the resulting compost. I put up about 500 sq feet of these beds last week.
My question (finally): Have you tried it and what is your opinion of its feasibility?
SloeBurn on Mon, 30th Mar 2009 4:39 pm
No i haven’t tried it
But to get your mix to compost (and not be hot enough to eat your new plants will require some work on your part…
You can actually get compost to fully form in 4 weeks or less but you have to achieve optimal condition.
Wet but not soggy
AIR (Oxygen)
Heat
water it and turn it daily – cover it to increase the temp
good luck
barmbro on Thu, 2nd Apr 2009 2:05 am
The philosophy of layering your composting materials and alternating between browns and greens is common among all methods. Lasagna composting is done in place in the bed you would eventually add compost to, when the compost is done.
The lasagna method has advantages for gardeners who may not have the stamina or desire to haul their compost from a bin to their beds, as well as allowing gardeners on small plots to amend their soil with compost even though they don’t have space for a compost bin or pile.
Since a lasagna compost is typically allowed to break down without being turned and worked, it can take longer to break down than an actively worked compost pile. And since the initial layering requires creating a stack of materials that is upwards of two feet tall, it isn’t suited for beds that have perennials or shrubs already in place.
(And in case you’re wondering, the final composted material will be much smaller in volume than when you start!)
Other similar methods are called no-dig gardening or interbay mulching or sheet composting
corrupted_bunny on Sun, 5th Apr 2009 12:07 am
hi hon,
i’ve tried this method and i find it kind of time consuming, although it does work. i’ve never actually been able to get it to fully compost within six weeks though because i get busy and can’t tend the beds daily so they dry out and it slows the process.
What i do now, and what is much easier in my opinion, is just to make a compost tea. Basically, any left over veggies etc.. i put in the blender with a bunch of water and beat the heck out of it til it’s liquified, then i just pour it in my garden bed and turn the soil when i have time. Over time it enriches the soil wonderfully. And the best part is, i don’t have to wait for the fully enriched compost, i go ahead and just start planting when the time is right. In the fall, rake up those leaves and turn them into the garden too, to winter compost. Also, when you cut the grass (before it seeds) til those in throughout the season. i find my plants do great. You can also feed it with a liquid fertilizer once a month or so, or get those spikes and just shove them into the soil to help your plants along. Best thing you actually can do is to buy a bunch of earthworms and transplant them into your garden area…they will chow down on the little bits of compost tea and their castings are the best you can do for a garden.
There are so many correct ways to compost, you just have to find the one that is the easiest for you and go with it. Or, make up your own. Pretty much anything that isn’t greasy, oily, or mega protein like meat can be tilled into the garden area. Broken up egg shells are wonderful, they keep the soil loose and so are used coffee grounds so don’t throw them out…add them to the garden plot too.
Good luck and happy gardening!