20/05/2026
This looks good right?! Note to self and to Elsje Koelmans Kichenbrand Clare Elliott
A productive raised bed built in an afternoon from materials the household already produces — no digging, no rotovator, no imported topsoil. 🌱
Lasagne gardening — or sheet mulching — works by layering organic materials directly onto existing lawn or compacted ground. The cardboard base suppresses existing vegetation within a few weeks while the layers above break down slowly into a rich, well-drained, biologically active growing medium. May is an excellent time to build: the warming soil temperatures accelerate decomposition, and the bed will be ready for summer plantings.
The layers, from the bottom up:
- Unprinted corrugated cardboard or wet newspaper — laid flat directly onto the grass, overlapping joins by at least 15 cm so no light can pe*****te
- Brown layer, 10 cm — dead leaves, straw, shredded card, small twigs
- Green layer, 10 cm — vegetable peelings, coffee grounds, fresh grass clippings, uncooked kitchen scraps
- Alternate three times brown and green to a total height of 40 to 50 cm
- Finish with a 5 cm layer of well-rotted compost or bought peat-free compost for planting directly into
The bed will sink by roughly a third over the first two months — this is the decomposition working, not a problem. Tomatoes, courgettes, and climbing beans planted in May into the top compost layer will find a friable, nutrient-rich growing medium without any added fertiliser in the first season.
From lawn to harvest without ever picking up a spade. 🪱