Written by: Marge Vorndam, Colorado Master Gardener, Class of 1997
Here we are. We want to create a new garden spot-either for ornamentals or vegetables. Since I’m beginning my senior years, I finally have the time to spend on this opportunity but not necessarily the physical endurance to follow up with creating a standard garden.
My hubby and I snowbird to Florida. Here, housing developments are the rule in the landscape. So, what happens? Wildlife are driven out as more houses are built in their native areas. The numbers of carnivore panthers, bobcats, bears, coyotes, and the aquatic species such as alligators are displaced as their native habitats are cleared and drained for housing. Also, the herbivores such as birds, bees and butterflies are disappearing as foraging areas diminish and pesticide use increases.
I’ve joined gardening groups and track the activities of the Florida Master Gardeners here. Gardening in Florida is a new ballgame, so it takes a somewhat different approach. I claimed a mission to do my small effort to ameliorate some of the damage, as I had space in my back yard to add a bird, bee, and butterfly garden. But I didn’t want to go to the work of digging or rototilling up sod. So first, learning about the local native plants gave me a handle as to what should draw in the creatures that I was seeking to perpetuate in this area. Focusing on wild native plants also preserved those disappearing or threatened species. So, researching what is available in the way of plants and compatible animals was important to begin this project.
I decided to use a method in beginning my garden that can also be used for vegetable gardens – Lasagna Gardening. It’s a way to make a healthy garden without needing to put much “grunt work” into the effort. I’ve been intrigued by this method, so this was the perfect time to try it. It can be used anywhere, not just Florida -and it gives a whole new compost area to bury kitchen waste in.
After getting permission from our HOA to build a 60-foot by 3-foot garden strip along the back of our home, I went to work. First came the water system. The central and southern Florida growing season is year around, so watering systems must be a part of the plan, unless one is willing to drag a hose around. Our irrigation service extended the lawn system to also water where the Lasagna Garden would be sited. Next, we put in a concrete berm installed to define the garden. It’s not a necessary step, but good where you might need to keep your materials localized within your intended bed. Other borders such as lumber or cinder blocks can also hold the space. Next comes the fun part. Give the space a low mow job, or skip that part, as I did. To kill the grass or other weeds, a covering that eliminates sunlight for the remaining growing vegetation still in place, save newspaper layers or cardboard to cover the grass, etc. I elected to purchase a large roll of cardboard and laid it over the area. Water each layer to provide it a chance to settle. Then, I had a load of composted gardening soil brought in and distributed over the entire layer of cardboard at about 4” deep. After spreading that layer, another layer of cardboard was applied, watered in, and followed by straw or bark as a final mulch to hold all the layers in place. You get the idea-this is like a compost heap with the layers of brown and green. You can also bury your household kitchen scraps into the layers as they accumulate, and the ground biota like earthworms and such will move in to transform the soil to make it richer. Other gardeners add several more layers to the garden. The treatment here will break down and create rich, fluffy soil over time.
Lasagna Gardens are generally left to settle and compost together for several months, but they can also be used immediately. About two weeks after I finished, I was already planting mine. So, by next Spring I will have the beginnings of an established wildflower garden and more of the displaced wildlife to call it home.
Lasagna gardening is adaptable to most places that a compost bed can be used, so give it a try!
https://171dxwjpaqv2danpq11ixf2j-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/word-image-4.jpeg From Clemson University, 2019.
Marge Vorndam – Simpson’s Stopper, Firebush for starters Reference: UF/University of Florida Extension, 2021. No-dig Garden Beds. https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/lawn-and-garden/no-dig-garden-beds/