Lasagna Gardening 101: Theory and Practice

Having a garden provides independence through food security—not mention good exercise. We started our garden with the goal of being as self-sufficient as possible. In the long term, this is about having the control and freedom to create the life you want—a life of permanence and relative certainty.

There are many methods of starting an organic garden. In 2018, my wife and I chose the lasagna garden method, also known as sheet mulching or hugelkultur. We'd heard that it was cheap to set up, results in excellent fruits and vegetables, and requires little weeding once established. Further, we'd read it is a great way to transform grass or unhealthy land into a robust garden on the reliable OSU Extension Service website.

Published more than a year after we started our garden, the Ravenous Farmer video series shows the results of putting this theory into practice, starting with Lasagna Gardening 101. The first video covers the basics of the lasagna gardening method and demonstrates how we built the garden. Part 1 focuses on theory; Part 2 discusses the benefits of lasagna gardening; and Part 3 shows how we built our lasagna garden from scratch.

The complete video series shows exactly how everything went over 365+ days, so you can witness the results for yourself. I couldn't find anything like it on Youtube, even after watching dozens of lasagna gardening videos.

So if you've only got a small plot or patch or snatch of land, as long as it gets good sunlight, you can likely turn it into a garden with this method.

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