About six weeks ago, I had the opportunity to visit a Restoration Hardware. I want one of everything! I came across a wonderful product that appeals to me on several levels. It's a bottle of beach glass that has been scented with lavender. Herbs and recyling are a big part of my life.
The herb list I belong to has chatted about "Lasagna Gardening" in the past, and I've always thought it sounded like a great concept. The idea is to layer four to six inches of compost or layers of material over a spot where you want to make a new garden bed. If the area is in your lawn, the layers will kill off the grass and the bed will be ready for planting without having to use harsh chemicals.
Oddly, I found a note about this method in the "Real Simple" magazine, November, 2003. They suggest mowing an area you wish to dedicate as a bed next spring, and then putting down four sheets of newspaper, and a four inch layer of shredded fall leaves or bark mulch. Hose it down and let it sit for the winter.
I think I may try this on a section of my formal garden that has been infested with grass. I plan to put down layers of newspaper, chopped leaves, shredded paper from the office, compost and grass clippings. What better time to renovate a bed than in the winter, when nothing is going on?
If you're interested in this technique, you can read more about it in " Lasagna Gardening: A New Layering System for Bountiful Gardens: No Digging, No Tilling, No Weeding, No Kidding!" by Patricia Lanza, et al You can buy the paperback new for $11.17 at Amazon.com. What have you got to loose?
I have a friend in the Fort Worth area who is a superb gardener. She's always researching ways to have healthier soil and stronger plants. We've had many a conversation about the use of compost. She feels that it should be incorporated into the top three inches of so of the soil to make the best use in feeding plants organicallybecause the plants feed mostly in those three inches.
I've read somewhere that double digging is the best way to prepare a new garden, adding compost in as we turn that soil. My friend is trying to persuade me not to disturb the soil, but to add compost on top.
She has also taught me about corn gluten meal, and alfalfa.
It seems that if you put alfalfa on your iris in the fall you'll have huge numbers of blooms in the spring. You can use pellets, meal, or hay to achieve this. I'm going to try it. I'll let you know in the spring how it turned out.
If you've tried this, I'd like to hear from you.
