The Raised Garden Bed Tutorial

Sweet and simple, based on Lasagna Gardening, here it is:

Step one: pick a spot
Be sure to consider what you want to plant in the bed and its light requirements.  For example, tomatoes like it hot and sunny so a garden box in a shady corner won't do the trick.

Step two: build a frame
This can be as simple or fancy as you like.  The simple (cheap construction) seen in the picture below lasted about 2 seasons before the wood decayed.  It was untreated lumber though so, now that they have non-leaching types on the market, I suspect the same frame built with treated lumber would have lasted longer.

Step 3: Fill it up!

Cover the grass with cardboard.  Then lay down 1-2 inches of wet newspaper print (you can soak it in tote while you gather other supplies.)  The paper layers will kill off any grass/weeds and also make an enviting buffet for earth worms, who will migrate from other parts of the yard to feast and (as a result) till the soil under your bed for you!

Then begin layering your organic materials.  I used what was available to me for free:



 Multched leaves (from our two big maple trees)

Coffee grounds (free from your local Starbucks)

manure - the first year I purchased this product, which is really nice stuff, but in subsequent years I have been able to locate good citizens in the area who have horses.  They are kind enough to let me come and (without getting in the way of their work) gather up some barn litter which works really well.  If you are using barn litter try to get the stuff that has aged awhile as it can be quite acidic.

I also put in peat moss, lime, and wood ashes.  I always use leaf multch in between each of the other ingredients because we have so much of that material on hand.  Here's the finished beds:

There are several benefits to doing your gardening this way. 

• The mixture is very loose, light, and aerated - allowing plants to spread out their roots with ease and spend more energy on food production.
• You can plant in it the same day you build it - horray for a complete garden in about an hour!
• The layers will naturally decompose throughout the season, releasing valuable nutrients to your plants all summer long.
• You can easily control the soil pH and tailor it to the plants you desire to grow.
• Because you are essentially creating soil from scratch it is "clean", meaning there are no weed or grass seeds in it!  That means very little time spent weeding and more time spent enjoying your beautiful garden!
• Tilling destroys the topsoil and the habitats of many beneficial insects that will work hard for you if you let them.  Building on top of the ground preserves that resource and actually enhances it by providing shelter.  It's very eco-friendly :)

Don't be limited by rectangle frames - experiment!  With some creativity you will soon see opportunities for layered gardening everywhere.  Here are some other layered beds we made:

Mint in a narrow strip along the wall.
We planted this primarily as a shelter for frogs
in the hopes that they would come and help remove unwanted bugs.



my favorite: a teepee for the kids - healthy snacks always in reach!

How Lasagna Changed My Life

When we moved into our home 3 years ago I met Lois, our neighbor.  Her daddy built the house she lives in (back in the 1950's).  They had a lot of kids (7 or 8 I think) and were country folk moving into the big city.  He created an aqueduct to pull water out of a natural spring at the back of the property and used it to irrigate his "garden" which stretched from the creek to the road (about 1/2 acres worth of land) and included an orchard as well as pecan trees that are now towering giants.

Lois is a wonderful person.  She's also, no surprise, a garden enthusiast.  She's a member of the Nashville Master Gardeners Society and volunteers at the organic gardens for a local historical site: The Hermitage (former home of the late President Andrew Jackson.)  When she asked if I might plant a small garden for my daughter to explore I laughed and quickly said, "no, that's not for me.  I can't keep anything alive and I HATE garden work!" 

You see, I have memories of my own mother's garden seared deep in my heart.  It was not quite a quarter of an acre, in North Texas, and I remember it being the bane of my summers.  The ground was so dry that cracks big enough to loose your whole foot in would open up.  There were no trees and the summer sun would beat down on you mercilessly, sucking the very breath out of your chest as you labored against Bermuda grass, weeds, grasshoppers, fire ants, and red wasps.  She would spend hours behind the tiller and then be laid up in bed for days with back pains from the strain it caused.  I remember her saying, "Someday you will want to do this for your family and you will be glad I made you come out here and help me" and I would shout back, "No way! I WILL NEVER EVER HAVE A GARDEN!!!! That is what produce aisles are for mom."

But Lois was determined to change my mind about what gardening could be like and what she showed me changed my life and has blessed my family beyond belief.  It is a no-till system of gardening that was made popular by a book called "Lasagna Gardening".  The concept is simple: build a frame, kill off the existing grass by laying cardboard and newspapers over it (which also acts as cover and food for earth worms, the heroes of garden work), and then create your own nutrient rich soil by layering ingredients (like a lasagna).  The result is an easy to work in bed with a soil climate you can completely control and best of all, it is grass and weed free! 

Lois helped me build my first one that year and I planted tomatoes in it for my little girl who loves tomatoes.  It was super easy.  We built it in about an hour, planted the plants in it the same day, and they grew like crazy all summer!  I now have a backyard full of raised beds and it is probably my favorite place on the property to spend time.  If you think you might like to try this you can check out my tutorial (once I get it up and posted.)