Lasagna Gardening - Growing Methods for Gardeners

Lasagna gardening is not a ‘How to grow Lasagne in Your Garden’ blog! It’s about a method of gardening which is both composting and a growing method.

The phrase was coined by Patricia Lanza in USA in the 1990s. It is also known as lasagne gardening, sheet gardening, sheet composting, layer gardening, no-dig gardening and no-till gardening. Lasagne gardening is the spelling more often used in the UK as we tend to refer to lasagne rather than lasagna when referring to the sheets of pasta. Describing the method as no-dig layer gardening is probably the most helpful phrase.

In this article, I’ll explain what it is; the method of creating a lasagna garden; and go into the pros and cons. That way, you can decide whether it’s a method you’d like to try yourself. It can be used for both vegetable and ornamental gardens or borders, but is easiest to establish where there are no existing plants that you want to keep.

What is Lasagna Gardening?

It is a method of cultivation that doesn’t require digging. It is also a method of composting or mulching where plants are grown directly into the mix. Lasagne gardening can be used where you have an overgrown garden or allotment and weed suppression is important. If you’re starting a new vegetable garden from scratch, it’s certainly one of the growing methods to consider.

Although made famous by Patricia Lanza, she was not the first person to use this method of cultivating vegetables. Indeed, in similar and varying forms, of which hot beds is one, it has been around for hundreds of years. For example, the hot bed method of growing melons is based on layers of vegetation and was used by the Romans.

What is lasagne gardening and why is it used? Well, basically, the layers of cardboard, leaves, green plant waste, straw and so on form a nutrient rich bed. These will slowly rot down to a hummus rich soil or growing media. You can then grow your vegetables, fruit and flowers on this easy to work soil. An organic mulch is laid at the end of the growing season, just as you would in a traditional bed.

Lasagna gardening is hailed as an easy option, but there is still work involved, just not any double digging. The finished ‘flat heap’ may be slightly mounded in the middle rather than flat. And it can be freestanding or created within a raised bed framework. Either way, the critical thing not to do is stand on it. As with all no-dig cultivation methods you want to avoid compacting the soil.

How to Create a Lasagna in your Allotment or Garden

Although it is possible to create a bed in the spring for planting that same season, it’s better to build it the autumn before. This is to give the layers time to rot down and turn into a rich nutritious soil for planting in. Or we could say that you leave your lasagne garden to ‘cook’!

The general rule is to create an initial lasagna of about 2 feet / 60 cm depth. However, this may need to be deeper if you plan on growing fruit bushes or fruit trees.

If you have bare soil in the area where you plan to create a lasagna garden, then you’re good to go. But on an overgrown plot, you do first need to cut down or otherwise flatten the weeds. They can be left lying where they fall. Annual weeds shouldn’t pose a problem; however, perennial weeds may need at least some roots digging out. If you’re not able to dig, or want to be fully no-dig, see tip 2 below.

How to make your lasagna

Firstly, cover the area with a thick layer of cardboard, wetting this thoroughly. Much easier to wet it in situ, and as you add more pieces. (Have you tried carrying damp cardboard without it falling apart?) Overlap the edges.
How thick this initial layer needs to be may vary on how many perennial weeds were in the soil. It will eventually rot away, so if you have major problems with perennial weeds for example, mares’ tail (Equisetum arvense) you could vary the method by laying a membrane down first.
You now build up your alternating layers of ‘green’ and ‘brown’ as you would do with a compost heap. These are the meat / lentil layers and the pasta layers of your lasagna garden. Remember to wet each layer, the ‘sauce’ if you like.
Making the next layer a twiggy can be useful to incorporate good air flow. Depending on how many layers you build up, you may need more twiggy / breathable layers.
In the past I have added rotted compost mixed into the green plant leavings as the next layer to encourage plenty of earthworm activity.
Layers of newspaper can be used instead of, or as well as, cardboard.
Basically, anything you add to a cold compost bin can be added to your lasagne garden. Check out ‘How to make Compost’ for more details of what to add.
For an autumn or winter bed, topping with wet cardboard helps to weight everything else down. For extra protection and to get an early start in spring, you can also cover your lasagne with horticultural fleece, newspaper. A loose mulch such as bark chippings, may get dug up by foxes.

How to Plant up and Maintain Your Lasagna Garden

Planting it up

If needed, a soil layer can be added in the spring as a growing medium in which to plant seeds and seedlings.
With a spring made bed, then the top layer is a 6-10 cm soil layer, so you can plant. Depth required depends on what you are planting.

Planting is pretty much the same as most soil-based growing methods. Dig a hole and put your seedling in. Yes, I said, ‘dig a hole’ and you thought it was a no-dig method? That’s because you can hardly leave the seedlings on the soil surface and expect them to successfully grow!

The digging in question may be with your gloved hands, a hand trowel, a short-handled spade. Or even a border spade so long as you don’t walk on your lasagna garden to use it. On a weed-infested site, be careful not to dig through the cardboard base layer.

Whether you dig a hole or just scrape away some of the top layer will depend on what you’re planting. Where you used cardboard as a top layer, you may need to cut a hole in it if it’s not yet composted down.

Maintaining your Lasagne Garden

There will still be some weeding to be done. Annual weeds are easily removed with a long handled Dutch hoe to save bending; or by hand. And depending on the starting condition of your vegetable plot there may be perennial weeds that try to creep not the nutritious lasagna.

The overall level will drop as the layers of mulch rot down, but your raised beds / open borders can be topped up with new layers as required.

An annual autumn mulch is advisable as a minimum. You may need to add extra organic material during the season.

Water, stake, prick out and generally maintain your crops as you would in a ‘normal’ garden.

Pros and Cons of Lasagna Gardening

Like other no-dig methods, lasagna gardening has often created diametrically opposed views within the gardening fraternity. It is not a cure-all for every garden and every gardener. But it should be one of the cultivation methods considered. It can be applied to a part of or to a whole vegetable garden, fruit garden, or indeed ornamental garden.

Pros of Lasagna Gardening

Good for: –

Gardeners who find regular digging difficult
Light sandy soils which quickly dry out
Heavy clay soils which are wet in winter and baked hard in summer
Small vegetable gardens, as to some extent it can double up as one of the compost heaps
Dealing with overgrown or weedy allotments
Growing annual vegetable crops and salads
Can be used for perennial fruit, vegetables and herbs
A method that works well with raised beds as the layers are contained
Large gardens, or those with a lot of organic material to compost
Crops can be planted closer together, increasing yield
Nutrients that might leach out of a traditional compost pile are utilised by the crops
Water retention

Cons of Lasagna Gardening

There are many good points, but there are disadvantages too: –

There is a lot of heavy work when first building the lasagna garden, especially on overgrown sites
You really need to build the initial lasagna garden in one session, or at least to half its height
Each layer does need to be built as a whole so it rots down evenly across the bed
Lightweight complete layers will need covering temporarily so they don’t blow away
Storage space is needed to stockpile sufficient grass cuttings, cardboard etc to create a layer or layers
The initial lasagna may take a year to rot down sufficiently to plant in. this can be due to climactic reasons, but also because the shallower heap doesn’t heat up the same as a traditional, taller compost heap
There can be issues with decomposition if you don’t get the green / brown ratio right
The warm, damp, dark conditions may be a worm paradise, but they’re also a slug heaven
Its not a true alternative to a traditional compost heap; you’ll still need a wormery, bokashi, or compost bin
Unless the layers are contained in a raised bed, it looks very messy

Lasagna Gardening – Is it Right for You?

For example, you take over a new allotment or garden and it’s overgrown with plenty of perennial and annual weeds thriving there. You’ve read the pros and cons, and whilst you have spare time for clearance, you don’t have a stockpile of newspaper, grass clippings and so on to cover the whole site.

Gardening Teacher Suggestion:

Split the space into a lasagna garden and double dig prep the rest of the beds.
That will also help you to work out if you like lasagna gardening as a growing method. You may find that you like it for some crops but not others. That is fine. There is no law that says you can only use one cultivation method in your kitchen garden or allotment.

And for help with getting to grip with growing your own, why not have a look at our Edible Gardening Courses or Planting Design and consultancy services? I’d love to help you with an edible garden design or one for a veggie garden within your larger plot.

But if you’d prefer hands-on personal help from yours truly, with a mix of practical sessions and theory ask about our bespoke Gardening Lessons and Courses where your classroom is actually your own garden. Click this link for the pdf download for more info. In these lessons I can help you learn gardening basics, and also show you how to plan an ornamental border or kitchen garden.

And finally…

For further gardening advice and inspiration, ideas for kitchen gardens, herb gardens, pest resistant gardens and more, check out Plews Potting Shed blogs, including the selection below and our monthly Tipsheet You could also come and find us on Instagram Pinterest and Facebook

And on that note, you can have a peek at the progress of my garden renovation, Spitfires and Slow Worms, on Instagram and Facebook You may even get to see it in person from early 2025 as I’ll be running Gardening Workshops. I’m at the finalising of dates stage for weekday and weekend slots for January – April, so keep an eye on the website and social media for an update.

Oh and there are links to free pdf downloads for crop rotation below too!