Lasagna Gardening

September in My Lake Garden

2011-09-06T11:47:00.000-07:00

There is something about cool days that give you renewed energy to tackle the garden jobs you were putting off when it was too hot to work outside. After two days of rain the ground is soft and dark brown, making pulling weeds easy. I was so moved by the urge to tidy the garden that even after it started raining again I was reluctant to stop so I was quite soaked when I finally called it a day.

As I looked for dry clothes I went to the part of the closet that held long sleeved tees and long cotton pants. It felt good to be warm and dry and for the first time in a very hot summer I pulled on socks. I know this cool weather will not last and there is no reason for me to put away all the shorts and sleeveless tees I have worn all summer.

After taking down all the trash trees in my front gardens, some that were a danger to my house, light has been getting in to plantings that were in stress from low light. I have never seen such bloom as I had this spring and summer and many plants have grown so much they are pushing up against their neighbors. My new pruners brought home from GWA meeting in Indianapolis will come in handy.

UPDATE AFTER LONG ABSENCE

2010-11-13T13:31:00.000-08:00

My very long absence from my blog is due to my over ambitious work schedule.

Crazy Days of Summer

2010-07-12T17:32:00.000-07:00

It's been a big year and I'm taking advantage of a hot summer days to stay inside and get some writing work done. It's long overdue and I may have lost readers due to my inaction but you have to understand my life to know what motovates me.

The year began with our trip home from Sarasota, FL to Crossville, TN. A two day stop over in Atlanta and visit with my daughter, Debbie, made the trip last three and a half days.

With unpacking, from a winter in thrift store heaven, left undone, just loaded into the walk-in closet, I packed for a trip to Kansas City, MO where I gave a dozen lectures.

We traveled back home from KC and threw ourselves into the garden season with a huge project. Six years ago I had cardboarded and mulched the paths and parking areas and laid newspaper and mulch in the gardens. It was time to do it again as the weeds had begun to creep in. I gathered cardboard from the Dollar Store, and neighbors who had just moved in, and lots of mulch and began a project that may take all month.

Everything came to a stop in the garden as we got ready to travel to Mississippi for lectures to State Master Gardeners. I packed our bags for a three night stay and left hanging clothes on hangers to stay pressed. I left them on the stair railing as I placed bags in the car. After a seven hour drive we arrived in time for a fish fry and dancing and crashed in our room for cool air. As I unpacked I couldn't find the hanging clothes and could see them still hanging on the stair railing at home. We headed out to Walmart. After spending money for clothes we didn't need we go back to our room to rest up for the upcoming lectures. The drive home was seven hours.

Back at the lake house and as soon as we were rested it was back to work in the garden but not for long as we needed to make a trip to Monterey, TN and give a lecture to Senior Citizens in a town my father's people had come from originally. The ladies made fired apple pies and I ate too many.

I celebrated my 75th birthday with family in New York and New Jersey in late May. We drove with my brother Tom and his wife, Cheryl, and were gone two weeks. It was good to see everyone and party with the kids and grands. When we returned home it took days to rest and get back to work.

Back at the lake house the summer garden projects were harder to do as the heat was so bad and we didn't it want to be lethel. We got outside in the early morning and late afternoon. Slowly the gardens were put in shape with not a weed in site and perky annuals brighting the garden on a whole.

In my gardens, that bloom from early sping until winter, it takes more labor to keep them coming on. I prune, divide, feed, water and mulch for the entire year to keep them at their best. Dave's gardens, on the other hand, only require a good cleaning in the spring and some annual plantings to keep them looking good. He likes things small and does some pruning but will only move a plant if it grows out of the space he has alotted.

There's a lesson here but I forget what it is.

The Long Trip Home

2010-03-25T17:04:00.000-07:00

Every year about this time we begin the long trip home. We begin to close down the condo and pack our car. This time is a little different as we are renting the condo for a year and we have stuff to get out of the way and better cleaning to do. After all when a couple come in for a rental they want everything to be super clean and uncluttered. It's what I would want.

So, is it all worth it? We think it is; we get out of the bad weather, we get to see friends we only see in Florida and we do the beach, the pool and the golf course. We also do a lot of serious sitting. We sit in our wicker furniture watching TV or reading, we sit in the sun by the pool or we sit waiting for our food at our favorite dining spots.

To off set all the serious sitting we walk the trails at The Meadows, walk the Fresh Market and walk the thrift stores looking for old aprons. Don't laugh, those places are in old supermarkets and if you do the whole store you can walk a half a mile. Do all the thrift stores in one day and you will have walked two to five miles. Sarasota is the mother of all thrift stores and there are treasures out there.

Of course we can't take advantage of the treasure trove because we travel here in our mid-sized car with a small trunk so we just do old aprons for my collection. So far I have just under ninty with my goal being one hundred. I have a vision of all one hundred aprons hanging from a clothes line that goes around the room where I will give a lecture on My Grandmother's Aprons.

My first lectures on this subject were this winter in Kansas City, MO at the Johnson County Home and Garden Show and I had to show my aprons on a Power Point presentation. It was OK but I need to do a lot of work.

Arm-Chair Gardening

2010-03-13T14:36:00.000-08:00

Since late fall and all through the winter I have dreamed new additions to my gardens though stacks of catalogs. There were times when the stacks wobbled and threatened to fall over but I steadied them and continued adding more catalogs to the top. As the long days of winter allow lots of time for dreaming I dream of new garden spaces and refurbished old gardens. Thank goodness some things never change and seed and plant companies still send catalogs that gives the arm-chair gardener the time to dream.

Away From My Garden

2010-03-10T09:35:00.000-08:00

It seems I don't have it just right; spring is coming and I am not home to see the hundreds of daffodiles push above the ground or tulips break the surface in the planter where they lie safe from foraging critters. I'm not there to watch buds begin to break on trees and shrubs or lavender begin to go from gray to green. I'm not there to pick up big leaves that will kill the new grass on the path leading to the lake or pick up fallen branches that litter the front path.

It's times like these that I wonder why I leave my home in Tennessee to travel to our condo in Florida for the winter. I didn't wonder at it so much when snow covered the ground and winds made you feel like it was 20 degrees colder. I didn't even wonder at it when it was too cold in Florida to swim in the pool or go to the beach. It's just now, when the sun is shining everywhere, that I begin to question the reason to be so far from the place I love.

I can see my house sitting tall on the side of Lake Canterbury, all gray cedar with white trim. I can see the boats swaying on the tie-downs and the water birds swimming by. I can see the neighbors walking the roadside and know they are checking to see if I am home yet. I can see the herbs and groundcovers that grow between the stepping stones beside the front walkway leading to the front door.

Then I remember my brother who has a Florida place just seven miles from my condo. I remember when he is in Springfield, Illinois in his home, and I in Tennessee in mine, how far away he seems. I remember when my sister-in-law cooks one of her delicious meals and we all sit at her table decorated with china and glassware adorned with flamingos and palm trees how much I have missed seeing them. And I remember our friends who come to Florida from Michigan, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, South Carolina and Washington State and that I wouldn't get to see them if we didn't come here also.

I know why we come to Florida. It's not just that we have a condo, or we are running from the cold but it's more about getting to our friends and family who also come for the winter. It's our other home.

March...A Month to Rest Before Garden Season Begins

2010-03-09T15:40:00.000-08:00

It's March 1st:

We "did" the Johnson County Home and Garden Show in Overland Park, Kansas and we "did" it well. What that means is we had good crowds, our power point presentations went off without a hitch and we sold lots of books. It also means we came home not worn out but still in good shape and with energy to spare. I can't believe it!

Dave and I are busy writing books and giving lectures. He has a new book about two cats in Selby Gardens in Sarasota, Florida. I have a new book, My Garden Doctor, a reprint of a 1913 novel by Frances Duncan, and a new CD, My Grandmother's Aprons. Dave is back at work on his newest project; the tale of a family of rabbits in Kingwood Gardens in Ohio. I am working on the book about my grandmother's aprons.

We normally rest during March so we are ready to hit the gardens running in April. The month of March is usually devoted to hanging out with our friends in Sarasota, enjoying the month in warm weather, swimming in the pool and putting our feet in the white sand of Siesta Key Beach. Not so this year. Instead we are getting our condo ready to rent, finishing book projects and hosting friends and family. We will rest later.

Thanks to all the folks on facebook who are ordering my new book and CD. Thanks to all the gardeners who have continued ordering Lasagna Gardening to keep it in the top lists on amazon.com and other online bookstores.

Happy Gardening!

February 2010

2010-02-14T12:23:00.000-08:00

Once we make the move to Florida for most of the winter we settle down to our first love; writing. Dave is working on a new children's book and I am writing a book about grandmothers and their aprons. Both books are a work of love and we spend most of every day at our different projects.

Earlier this year I finished a re-write on a book, My Garden Doctor, that was written by Frances Duncan and published in 1913. I found the little old book at a library book sale in Roscoe, NY about twenty years ago. Over the years I wished more people, who love gardening, could read this book. After researching the public domain limitations and copyrights I decided to reprint the book. It took me two years and a bummed shoulder to get the job done but this week the book is finished and is on book shelves at amazon.com and my website: http://www.lasagnagardening.com/

My Garden Doctor tells the story of a turn-of-the-century woman who is bed-ridden from over work. As she lies in bed, and continues to decline, she needs the help of an around-the-clock nurse. When one nurse leaves and another takes on the task, Caroline is put in a chair by the window, where she has a view of the back yard and a neighbor who is pruning roses. Caroline's interest is tweeked and the story of her garden begins.

With "My Garden Doctor" finished I can get on with my next book: "My Grandmother's Aprons".

"My Grandmother's Aprons"is a book based on an essay I wrote for a collection of stories published by Penquin Books in 2004 (My Mother's Garden). In that essay I brought up sweet memories of how my own grandmother used her aprons and in the telling of that story I connected with readers all over the world with memories of their own, many much like my own.

During the time I prepared for this book I made a cd of that first essay. It is available on my website, http://www.lasagnagardening.com/, at my lectures or by emailing me patlasagna@aol.com. My own words inspired me to begin a collection of aprons that I will share with those who attend my lectures or at art shows near my hometown, Crossville, TN.

The apron collection is really a lot of fun; searching them out at thrift stores, antique shops and church sales. Washing, starching and ironing the aprons with long ties and rick-rack trim. It was fun and sweet to see how women used bits and pieces of material and trim to make a garment that protected their dresses.

Aprons are not just a thing of the past but new ones can be found in chain stores and gift shops worldwide. The ones I write about are ones made and worn by our mothers and grandmothers. Each one has a lifetime of memories attached. The best part of this project is hearing the stories my readers are sharing with me of their own grandmothers and the aprons they wore. I hope you will send my your story.

January 2010

2010-01-11T07:03:00.000-08:00

As soon as the New Year begins I begin making plans to travel North for our Lanza Family Reunion. This year was no different! From the time grand-daughter, Missy B, made her heart-felt plea for the sight, sounds and tastes of family we all (those who could get away)made our arrangements to gather at Liz & Harry's house in Hopewell, NJ. I flew to New York and visited with daughters, Mickey and Melissa, then drove to NJ. We have made the trip many times and it is an easy 2 hour drive, getting us there in time to pick up pizza from Franks in Flemington. The first night is spent in the kitchen eating pizza and planning for the weekend. Grand-daughter Kaitlin is there for a short time then gone to a friends to prepare for SAT tests.

Day two is a shopping day buying the food for the big Saturday night food fest: snack foods, main course and desserts. At the same time we buy a little special treat for the ones who come early, grand-daughter Malorie and Vito and grandson Tyler, and do the pre-party planning. We serve Dirty Martini's, King Crab Legs with drawn butter and green salad with baked Atlantic Salmon.

Saturday and as the day progressed they began to arrive: my wasband Dick, his wife Mary, daughter, Melissa, son Richard and his wife Schatzie and two grandsons, Sean and Dominick. who drove from North Carolina. The cooking begins with Richard preparing the filets, Ugly Potatoes, fresh green beans, shrimp and scallops. The phone rings and it's grand-daughter Missy B, who is sick and looking for a doctor. We give her advice about a doctor and continue cooking. Gifts for the silly gift exchange pile up; you draw numbers and pick a gift that someone can take from you. We know the exchange will get heated when a really good gift changes hands lots of times.

Missy B finally arrives looking pale but cheerful as usual. The buffet is put up and the dining room table set with an extra table in the living room. Everyone can be seated this year as there are only sixteen. We are missing eight people at this year's gathering but that's normal as it is winter and people have to work or have other obligations. The door opens and it is grandson Alex who has driven in from New York where he is working on a TV show. He lives in LA but this was one family gathering that is close to his work so he made sure he was here.

After dinner and gift exchange, that threatend to turn ugly, and folks begin to fade away: some to hotels and other's to guest rooms and the house gets quiet for the night. Early the next morning we all swing into gear again as they all begin to get up or arrive for a Sunday brunch. The big coffee pot comes out and Liz and Harry do the bagels and cream cheese with OJ. I take over the stove and make biscuits and sausage gravy, scrambled eggs and tons of fruit.

At the table we get an exchange of information from grandparents (who are both working; papa & Mary at the inn and grams (me) at a new book) brother Rich (looking for a new job) sisters (Mickey getting ready to graduate, Melissa (looking for listings for her C21 office) Liz (how she is juggling her job at J&J and a teenage daughter) daughter-in-law Schatzie (how it is going at the hospital), grand-daughters: Missy B & Malorie, (both who work for big corporations) and Kaitlin who is still in high school but also works at a daycare. grandsons: Alex, TV producer, Sean, who is the midst of moving to NC, Dominick, college student, Tyler, highschool student, and Marlorie's boyfriend, Vito, who works in investments and is interested in family history.

It's a lot to take in in a weekend but we manage and before you know it it's time to hit the road and my family departs for NY, NJ, CT and me back to TN. It must be a relief to our hosts; Liz and Harry, who have been the best ever hosts with the best food and the best humor to know they can relax and have time to unwind before work starts on Monday. I always hope we don't outstay our welcome and we are invited back next year.

The flight home was just like I like it, uneventful. As soon as I rest up from my nine day reunion it's time to pack and head for Florida. I look forward to winter in the sun.

December in Tennessee

2009-12-13T13:18:00.000-08:00

Wood fires, split pea and ham soup and lights on the deck mark the beginning of the Christmas Season. Decorating the house and setting up the tree are easier for us now that we have slimmed down the process. We take a box out of the attic. It holds our two wreaths for the coach lanterns on each side of the garage, a box of icycle lights to outline the deck and decorations for the mantle and living room tables. We place Snoopy's Merry Christmas in the guest room window and drag the pre-decorated tree to the upper landing and plug them in. Christmas decorating is finished.

November Gardens In Tennessee

2009-11-10T08:58:00.000-08:00

There is little doubt we have too many gardens for most people but we love it. Our lake lot is on the corner and just the location makes it a bigger area. When we came here to live on Lake Canterbury you couldn't see the lake from the house. We first took down enough trees to see the water. After that we took down trees that were too old and posed a problem for our house. This year we took down scrubby trees that were making too much shade. We still have far too many trees but with each cutting we have improved the property and given ourselves more space to garden.

The soil in our gardens is laced with fine roots and composed mostly of clay and rock. With each layer of paper, cardboard and organic material our soil has improved. After four years of lasagna gardening there are large areas where I can dig up a tree or shrub and transplant them with little effort. Each year I plant large numbers of bulbs in my improved soil. That too is a real pleasure not a chore.

November is the time to tidy up all those leaves and add them to the gardens as a mulch to continue improving the soil. This year was no different even though there are over thirty less trees to deal with. It was just easier to gather the leaves and get them where they needed to be. We mowed leaves, gathering them in our mower bags. We vacumned and chopped leaves with our Shred n' Vac. We blew them with our electric blower onto the lawn for mowing and even used an old-fashiond leaf rake. One of my best tools were the ten big tubs our new trees came in. I used them to gather up debris that needed to be taken to the brush dump and I used them to carry chipped leaves to different gardens. Next year I will use them to plant my vegetables.

My plans for next years container vegetable gardens came after a trip to North Carolina and Duke Botanical Gardens. Due to water restrictions they had planted vegetables and flowers in large containers so they could use drip irrigation for the best use of water. They buryied pots halfway in the ground and filled them with good soil. I am going to do the same thing.

It was just another reason we should all visit local public gardens and botanical gardens; ideas for our own gardens and inspiration. You can never get enough inspiration.

GWA Symposium in Raligh, NC

2009-10-17T16:33:00.000-07:00

It was the year of my divorce and move from our country inn to my farm. After 36 years of marriage and fourteen years as an innkeeper I was alone and out of work. I kept busy putting the house in order then all my attention was focused on creating gardens in the surrounding hay fields. I gave myself a year to do what I wanted before "the real world" came knocking and I had to get a job. That was nineteen years ago and I still don't have a regular job.

It's also hard to believe but it's been nineteen years since I joined Garden Writer's Association of America; 1991 to be exact. I was working in my gardens one day when a woman, who was visiting a friend in the neighborhood, stopped to talk gardening. We exchanged information and when she found out about my weekly newspaper column she invited me to join GWAA. She even had an application in her purse.

I didn't waste any time filling out the paper work and mailing it, with my dues, into the organization's office. With confirmation came the news of a National GWAA meeing to be held in St. Louis, MO. Again I acted with speed and registered to attend. When I arrived at the airport I hailed a cab and sat back to take it all in: a new city, belonging to a new organization and maybe a new life. It had all started in my garden.

After checking in and putting my bags away I went looking for the group. I got registered and put on my badge with the "newcomers ribbon". That ribbon told everyone else I needed help and a kind word. Right away I was included in small groups who helped me find my way around. I felt a part of things and it turned out to be the begining of my new job.

One of the first things I found out was if you registered a new member you got $15. off your own membership so it was a really smart thing to carry a form in your purse.

Over the years I attended meetings in places I might never have seen: San Diago, CA, San Antonio,TX, Toronto, Canada, Chicago, IL, Augusta, GA, Portland, OR and Grand Haven, MI. More important, I met lots of perople who enableled me to visit even more places: Florida, Alabama, S. Carolina, Tennessee and Arkansas. Actually I was born in Tennessee but going back to Nashville and Memphis was all new.

It was really special to be at a GWA Symposium in Raligh, NC this year. I signed up as a mentor for newcomers, hugged old friends and met lots of new people. It had been four years since I had attended a National, but had been to several Regional meetings over the years, and you just don't get to see some people if you don't go to the big ones.

I owe so much to the networking I have done at GWA meetings; publishers, editors, writers and photographers, all teaching me about the business of garden writing. And fun, lots and lots of fun.

Photos in the Garden

2009-10-12T14:02:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness for digital cameras because I have always taken a lot of photos and it was expensive to buy film and get it processed, not to mention the gas and time for trips back and forth to the store. I still take lots of photos but when I don't get a good shot I just delete it.

When you get a picture of something you like it's nice to store it where you can get to it later and look at it. That's what happened with the ripe tomatoes. I took the shot, looked at it and liked it. I saved it in several places including on a disk. When a blight hit my tomatoes, and I lost all my plants, I still had this photo.

The Lamb's Ear and Purple Heart that line the driveway deserved to have it's picture taken. I never look at it without remembering two of my daughters, Debbie and Mickey, who brought plants from Atlanta, GA and Westbrookville, NY and planted them. The Purple Heart is a little too far North to be fully dependable and likes being close to the driveway but the Lamb's Ear made itself right at home and reseeds everywhere.

FALL GARDENING

2009-10-12T09:49:00.000-07:00

Unless you live in snow country, and the ground is already frozen and covered with snow, it's the best time to make a new garden. Make a plan (decide how the garden will look and where it will be) , choose plants and gather materials.

Once you have a plan you can mark the new garden in various ways; a rope, water hose, sand or spray paint (outline the garden). Cover the inside of the marked area with overlapping layers of wet newspapers. Cover the paper with layers of organic material; peat moss, grass clippings, chopped leaves, compost, spoiled hay, barn litter, or whatever is handy. Continue layering until the layers are high enough to plant in.

When you choose plants for the new garden keep in mind it is a fall garden and fall is the best time to plant trees, shrubs, bulbs and perennials. Most will need at least twelve inches and some will need up to twenty four inches.

When you are ready to plant pull the layers of material aside and place the plant on top of the paper. When you lossen the plant roots it will make the plant shorter than it appeared in the planter. Spead the roots on top of the paper and pull the organic material back around the roots. Press down on the material, pushing air out of the surrounding material, and water.

Once the new garden is planted continue placing layers of organic material around plants, As the layers of material decompose roots will stay covered. Fall is a great time for this as there is such a huge supply of leaves. I blow leaves onto my driveway, or onto the grass, and using my mower cut them into smaller pieces. Shredded leaves make a beautiful mulch and decompose at a faster rate than whole leaves. If you don't have access to leaves then use bagged mulch to top off the garden.

If you are planning a vegetable or flower garden for next year a little prior planning can make that job a breeze come spring. Follow all the steps above; paper, material and water, and let it sit for the winter. In the spring the soil will be rich, black and alive with worms, proving it is fertile. It's quite inspiring to look out the window during the winter at your new garden and envision the vegetables and herbs growing there in the summer.

Fall is also a great time to add organic material to established gardens. Once you do the fall cleanup in the vegetable garden add 10 to 12 inches of chopped leaves. In foundation and other flower gardens a foot of chopped leaves will protect the roots and add to enriched soil.

Look at fall and leaf drop as a blessing not a curse.

Expanding the Garden, One Newspaper At a Time

2009-08-28T14:16:00.000-07:00

When the garden bordering the front walkway started growing into the lawn I had to make a choice; cut back or expand. I chose to expand one newspaper width to give the plants room to grow.

I gathered my supplies and placed them on a tarp close to the garden: newspapers, grass clippings, peat moss, compost and chopped leaves. I didn't have to mark out a new space but just follow along the existing garden. I covered the space with newspapers, overlapping the ends so no light could get through, and covered the papers with peat moss. I watered between layers keeping the organic material like a squeezed sponge. Then I rested.

The next alternate layers consisted of grass clippings, chopped leaves, compost and more peat moss. Once I had about twelve inches of material I pulled them back and inserted plants. I added a light mulch of pine needles and gave the new garden additional light watering.

The plant roots sit right on the wet newspaper. Once you pull the 12 inches of layers around the roots they are nestled in what amounts to compost. The layered compost has a gentle warmth and the roots get off to a great start. During this time it is important to keep the layers watered.

I bought sale plants and used three flats of eight inch pots in my new garden extension. I placed them about four inches apart, staggering them in the bed. Once the plants are established they will form a solid border of color around the existing bed. The slight rise to the new bed will disappear once the layers decompose. In just a short time the border will all be the same height.

Once you decide where you want a new garden or an expansion of an existing garden, collect the material you will need and begin laying down newspaper and layers. If you have plants ready the new garden can be completed in a very short time.

Daylilies..Big Bang for Few Bucks

2009-08-06T13:30:00.000-07:00

Daylilies are addictive! It all starts when you plant road-side daylilies, you know the tall orange ones that are like wildflowers? Trust me, you will not be satisfied with just these road-side flowers in your garden.

First thing you know you see what you cousin Linda is growing; the tall clear yellow with blooms as large as a dessert plate or the deepest red you have ever seen and you want some like that. And if your garden friend Louise invites you to take a walk through her gardens you are sure to develope Daylily envy.

When I walked through Louise's garden she told me the name of each lily and where it had come from. Many came from her mother's garden and many of those had been grown from seed. Yes, the lilies make seed if allowed to mature.

I thought back to some of my lilies that had dropped seed and come back with a cluster of fragile leaves that I didn't know how to protect. I probably mulched over them.

By planting lilies that bloom at different times you can have a long season of blooms. My first blooms come from repeat bloomers, mostly yellows, followed by some that only bloom once but last a very long time.

Going to Kansas City, Kansas City Here I Come.

2009-07-29T14:26:00.000-07:00

It was one of my favorite songs to dance to and Kansas City is one of my favorite places to go. Imagine my delight to be asked back to speak at the Johnson City Home and Garden Show for the 2010 season? It will be my fifth trip and, by the time the show is over, my 48th lecture for KC gardeners.

The 2010 Johnson County Home and Garden Show is be held February 26, 27 & 28 at the Overland Park Convention Center at 600 College Boulevard in Overland Park, Kansas and Dave and I will be a part of this great show.

ALTERNATIVES…to traditional gardening.

2009-07-27T17:55:00.000-07:00

If you aren't going to dig, till, or plow, then how is the soil going to get cultivated? With patience and prior planning. Look at your resources. Do you have leaves in the fall? Do you have grass clippings in the summer? Have you started a compost pile? Do you recycle your kitchen waste? Do you have access to hay, manure, or barn litter (a combination of manure and hay or straw cleaned from the barn)? Can you get these things from the neighbors? Do you have access to newspapers or cardboard? Can you get wood chips, sawdust or sand? Have you ever laid something down on the lawn and not picked it up for a few days? When you did, was the grass yellow and dying? Did it have worms and little tunnels under it? That's who is going to be doing the cultivating, earthworms.

And that's the principle...1ay down lots of dark, wet things (newspaper and cardboard) on top of the sad and let the worms do what they do best...dig tunnels, eat dying vegetation, and cultivate, leaving behind rich wastes. It's nature's way...1eaves fall and make a dark cover on the ground... worms come into the darkness and eat leaves and make tunnels, they leave deposits of their wastes and. . . BINGO! The soil becomes loose and rich. Take a walk in the woods and see how nature does it. You can't improve on nature but you can hurry her along.

Let's outline a new garden. Start laying wet newspaper on top of the sad within the outline. Cover the paper with peat moss or any of the ingredients I mentioned above. (I use peat moss between each of the layers when building a new garden.) If you didn't do anything else, in a few months, lift the paper and you'll find loose soil underneath. If you layer successive layers of soil amendments about 12 to 18 inches high on top of paper, then wait a few months, trowel through what's left on top (about 4 inches) and lift the paper. Underneath you will have several inches of cultivated soil below the paper, about 8 inches in all and that's enough to plant in.

This is an alternative to digging, tilling or plowing and all you need to do is some prior planning. Start accumulating and storing your home and garden wastes, start a compost pile, and practice some patience.

Shovel-Ready Projects That Cost Nothing that Can Stimulate and Inspire You

2009-07-04T10:42:00.000-07:00

When the news is mostly bad and you feel the need to escape to a better place... go to the garden. In this uncertain time when money, or lack of, is on your mind... go to the garden. All you need is some basic tools: rake, shovel, pitchfork, bucket, newspaper or cardboard, wheelbarrow and water.

Wet the newspaper in the bucket, use the water hose to outline a space where you plan to plant (vegetables, herbs, flowers, whatever). Cover the area with the wet paper and cover the paper with an organic material. Organic material, you ask? That was not on the list.

You need to use the rake to collect leaves, grass clippings or pine needles (in addition to other organic material you may have access to, this is just what I have). I use my wheelbarrow to carry grass from my neighbors and leaves from my woods.  When I collect piles of pine needles or leaves I use the pitchfork to pick them up and transfer them to the wheelbarrow.

Once I have laid down the wet paper and covered it with organic material I can walk away or continue layering more material: chopped leaves, grass clippings, more leaves, more grass clippings, etc. until I have enough layers to plant in. This is where the shovel comes in.

Using your longhandled shover, lift plants in other parts of your garden and bring them to the new space. Use the shovel to cut the plants into smaller pieces and pulling the layers aside, down to the paper, set the plants on the paper and cover the roots with the layers of organic material. Water each plant well.

If there is a need for a path around your garden use cardboard to cover the area, right on top of the grass or weeds. Cover the cardboard with a mulch of chipped wood or your personal choice of path material. I use chipped wood because it is free for the asking at your local sawmill or from landscapers or tree companies that are cutting and chipping in your area. My path has been in place for four years and has needed no maintenence except for another layer of chips.

I use my shovel and bucket to haul compost from the dumping area near my house to add to my gardens, one layer at a time. By keeping a small shovel and bucket or plastic bag in your car you can bring home other materials: composted manure from the stables, spoiled hay from a work site or barn, broken bags of material from the garden center or chopped corn stalks from a farm. Anything to add another layer of organic material is worth being prepared for.

As your garden matures the different materials will break down much as a compost pile does. The layers of grass clippings, manure or compost as nitrogen and the brown leaves, pine needles and hay as carbon. The layers that were twelve or fourteen inches high will decompose to only five or six inches. If you have plants growing in your layers their roots will be exposed if you don't continue layering around the plants. It is an on-going process.

Seeds are cheap and you can add them to your No-cost Garden at any time and they will do as well as if they had been planted in a tilled garden but with out the weeds. The layers of newspaper will block weeds and grass from coming up in your beds.

I hope this post will add to the things you can do with out spending any money. I also hope it will encourge you to get away from the news and concentrate on things that you actually have some hope of bringing positive change to.

Happy Gardening

Summer Gardens

2009-06-21T14:19:00.000-07:00

Summer Gardens

It's wonderful to feel good anytime but to feel good when it's time to work in the garden is a blessing. I feel blessed when my body is working and I can do a full days work that includes collecting and spreading grass clippings and chipped leaves on the soil in my gardens.

As soon as my neighbors begin cutting grass I take the clippings and spead them in a thin layer over the exposed soil in the gardens. They dry quickly and become the organic matter that is needed to enrich and loosen soil.

At the same time I collect leaves left behind from last fall. They tend to settle in and around shrubs and trees in the front garden. As I take them out I either use my Vac n' Shred to collect and chop them into mulch or I take them to the driveway and run over them with the lawn mower. I empty them onto the grass clippings in a two to three inch layer that looks better to me than bought mulch.

It's been four years since I began to lasagna garden the different spaces surrounding our home here in Tennessee. I began with thick layers of newspapers on top of the ground. I didn't remove any weeds or grass just wet paper and layers of peatmoss, chopped leaves and grass clippings. Even though I have done this many times before I continue to be amazed at the results of the lasagna-like process. My soil is loose and rich and grows whatever I plant without digging or tilling and few weeds.

Except for new garden spaces I don't have to water every day. Instead I have begun to install soaker hoses. We installed an above the ground water spigot and added a four hose adapter. This allows for four connector hoses going in four directions and can be controlled individually. The soaker hoses wind in and out of the gardens taking care of the water needs of plants that have struggled to survive. The hoses distribute the water directly to the plants and waste very little.

After the spring bulbs and early blooming perennials were finished I could see where I needed to plug in more plants with lots of color. This year I wanted late fall color to grow taller than the chrysanthemums that came back from last fall. I planted drifts of mixed cosmos and cleome behind the yellow mums. This color combo is not for the person who wants a clean, dependable color scheme but for me it is just right.

Happy Gardening!

Aunt Violet's Vegetable Garden

2009-05-29T05:15:00.000-07:00

Aunt Violet is my mother's younger sister and at 88 the matriarch of our family. She retired back to Crossville from Ohio almost 20 years ago. Since then she has bought land, built a house, and installed gardens. She retired from her big job but was bored and so got another job where she worked until she was 85. She also put in gardens using the lasagna method.

When I first came home from New York to check on her she was driving a new pick-up with U of T detailing on it. She was having some trouble with her sight but was still able to drive to work and keep up with her house and her eight kids. What she was missing in her gardens were leaves. I collected several bags and transported them to her house. She used the leaves in her beds to enrich the soil.

This would have been about 14 years ago and until 3 years ago she was still working in her gardens and going to work five days a week. Then she took a fall on the stairs and broke a rib that punctured her spleen. She has had three years of recovery and several steps backward since but I am happy to report she looks great and is feeling much better. She pines for a real job to go to.

This year she decided not to make a garden and told me I could use the space. I was thrilled that I would have a place to plant vegetables but I would also be near Aunt Violet to visit more often.

I rushed out to the greenhouse and bought three flats of annuals and four tomato plants. Once the annuals were planted on the front of the garden I put the tomatoes in the back. I checked to see if the merry marigolds and dainty dianthus could be seen from the back porch of Aunt Violet's house and placed cages over the tomatoes.

In the weeks that followed I planted cucmbers, beans, squash, musk melon, eggplant and watermelon; little, baby, green watermelon that would each feed just two people. In the remaining spaces I planted herbs; dill, basil and garlic chives.

Aunt Violet had made the garden with the basic lasagna gardening principals: newspaper, grass clippings, peat moss, compost, chopped leaves and broken bags of potting mix. The soil was rich and full of earth worms, a sure sign of healthy soil. Except for an errant piece of grass it was weedfree. I admit I didn't give the garden much attention but depended on sun and rain to keep it all growing.

Over the summer I would go once or twice a week to check on the garden and visit with Aunt Violet. It was a win-win for both of us. We kept in touch and shared in the harvest. There were some problems with a blight on the tomatoes but I picked them green and made fried-green-tomatoes that were delicious. The eggplant attracted Japanese beetles but kept them from getting on other plants and the fruit I did harvest were delicious. Rabbits got the beans but the cucumbers took over the space. My cousin needed the dill so that was put to good use.

It's the end of July and I have about 20 musk melon and 8 watermelon. The cucumbers are still bearing and I have worn out my welcome as the cucumber lady. As I wait on melons to ripen I sit with Aunt Violet on her back porch and we talk about our people and everything else we can think of.

The best part of this garden has been our interaction and the rows of flowers that remind us of Mama Webb (Aunt Violet's mother and my grandmother). She who was the best gardener of all and years after her passing is still setting the bar for those us us who remain.

Spring Garden Thoughts

2009-05-09T19:30:00.000-07:00

Spring gardens reveal their wonders one group of bulbs or wildflowers at a time. In my gardens daffodile and tulip blooms are gone but giant alliums are at their peak. In addition bearded and native purple iris blooms come and go and rhododendron and azeala blooms brighten the edge of the woods. Scotch Broom blooms just at the corner of garden, not the natural bright yellow but hybrids with blooms in bright pink, orange and yellow.

Rements of wildflowers remain. but you have to know where and how to look to find them. Nestled in layers of old leaves and bits and pieces of bark are white shooting stars and deep, blue, wild delphenium. Delicate white foam flowers, yellow and white trillium, light pink cranesbill, yellow wood poppy and violet herb Robert are all in bloom. Signs of wild iris and may-apple blooms are on the way. There's a patch of pussy toes that was here when we first moved here and I protect it from some who may mistake it for a weed.

Here in zone 6 we have spring bloom early and on into late spring. The woods that were breathtaking with the bloom of wild dogwood are now full of blackberry blooms that promise lots of juicy berries and cobblers. My grandmother's made the best cobblers and I can taste the tart/sweet taste of one if I close my eyes. One made biscuit dough and the other made pie dough but they both picked wild berries and both added just the right amount of sugar and cinnimon.

When we lived in Albany, Georgia, and my children were all at home, we all picked blackberries and filled our freezer every summer. I made jam, pies and cobblers that were much like the ones my grandmothers had made. The best blackberries grew in pine groves and were easy to pick as we walked on layers of pine needles surrounding the canes and could reach the berries without being snagged on thorns. The children had to pick two quarts each before going to play and I added the 14 quarts to the freezer until the season ended. That was a lot of berries.

I later discovered the beauty of thornless blackberries and how amazing they were to grow and how easy to pick. This was after the children had all left home and I was on my own to pick, store and cook. They do still come home for the cobblers.

Gappy Gardening!

SPRING GARDENS

2009-04-15T13:24:00.000-07:00

Spring brings more than tall, bright tulips, perky, yellow daffodiles, or happy-faced pansies. Spring brings a lightness to the heart and hope for a better tomorrow. With the advent of spring gardeners need to put their hands in the dirt. We harken back to the days of our ancestors who waited with impatience for the ground to thaw so they could plant seeds. Their very lives depended on getting food crops going so they would have enough time to mature before first frost. Today we do not depend so much on our gardens for food but rather on blooming flowers to feed our soul. Like many of today's gardeners I am more conserned with my gardens appearance than with filling the pantry with canned tomatoes or beans.

All that may change with currant changes in our economy. This years trips to different greenhouses in my area show me gravatating toward vegetable and herb plants and I wonder where I can find space to plant them. Last year I depended on my cousin, Dennis, to supply me with tomatoes and he didn't disappoint me. He planted over 40 tomato plants and every one preformed better than their tags predicted. I picked up a wheelbarrow full of tomatoes toward the end of summer and put them in the freezer. My vegetable soup was the envy of the neighborhood.

Before I could do more than fiddle with my emerging bulbs and dream about a vegetable garden I filled a three-tier planter, that sits on the deck and is protected from cool nights, with kitchen herbs and they promise fresh flavor in my cooking.

Happy Gardening!

First Poppies at the Farm

2009-01-27T07:45:00.000-08:00

For years I admired poppies growing in other people's gardens. There were bright red and orange poppies growing at old farmhouses, pale pink poppies growing around compost piles and huge nearly-black poppies growing in my cousin, Linda's yard.

When I inquired about growing them I was advised that they were resistant to being moved, even called finiky. I thought most of the poppies I had seen were growing with almost no care in the most difficult places so how hard could it be?

When I moved to the farm I had a greenhouse built. One of the first things I did was purchase a package of poppie seeds. I sowed the whole package of seeds in one small plastic box and they all germinated.

I dumped the box of seedlings out on the work table and seperated them with a short pencil. I planted each seedling in a section of a container called a six-pack. Once the seedlings were larger I repotted them in four inch pots. As the plants grew I kept them evenly watered and soon they were ready to be potted up again, this time in quart containers. The next pot-up was into gallon containers and I counted out four hundred pots.

That year the farm grew in every way: I installed thirty gardens, installed a driveway to access the gardens, converted a small room attached to the side of the main house to a gift shop. converted the summer kitchen, located at the back of the house, to a tea room and built a shade house to keep the potted plants out of direct sun.

I moved the pots of poppies to the shade house and put tags on them for sale. At the same time I planted several plants out near the road. When the poppies bloomed they stopped traffic. The blooms were large, bright red and had black centers. My plants began to sell due to the terrific display.

The package of seeds had cost about $2.00 and I priced the gallon size pots at $6.00. Other costs were the different size pots and potting material, not to mention the labor. I can't put a cost on the labor because it was therapy for me and therapy would have cost about $125.oo an hour. I actually made money on the labor.

The picture above is of a decendent of one of the poppies I grew at the farm. When I sold the farm (located on Shandelee Mountain near Livingston Manor, NY) I moved pots of poppies to The Potager (my business in Wurtsboro, NY). When The Potager sold my daughter, Mickey Lanza, moved some pots of poppies to my daughter's, Melissa Lanza, business located near Wurtsboro. I made a trip home and while there I took this picture.

Soup, Cornbread and Memories

2009-01-21T10:57:00.000-08:00

At my age most of my friends talk about the same things: aches & pains, kids & grandkids, food and the old days. Last night was no different.

It started with my "cleaning out the fridge to get ready to go to Florida" soup. You know, the soup that is inspired by limp celery, halves of onions and opened bags of carrots. With these humble beginings, and the addition of chicken broth and a carton of tomatoes (grown by my cousin Dennis and frozen by me earlier last year), my soup was taking on the smell and taste of my grandmother's best vegetable soup. After much tasting, and the addition of a little salt and pepper, I decided I would add a package of frozen whole kernal corn and a can of drained white beans. This meant a trip to the store.

At the same time I decided I would make another soup, this one from a package of soup mix that came with a new soup pot my daughter, Liz, had sent for Christmas. This soup, called Spicy White Chicken Chili, called for putting the beans on to boil before adding fresh chicken breast and the contents of two seasoning packets. I put the beans on to cook and headed for the store.

Forty dollars later: I added the corn and beans to my vegetable soup and checked on my beans, which were cooking well. I cut up the chicken breast and added it, with the two packets and some chicken broth to the second soup. The fridge was looking good and the garbage can was full but I had way too much food for two people. I needed to call some neighbors in for a meal and when everyone accepted I needed to make cornbread.

At this point I got out my two matching frying pans and prepared the mix for a full portion of "top of the stove' cornbread. It's simple: the recipe is on the back of corn meal mix and just needs, mix, egg, oil and water. You pour the batter into a hot, oiled frypan and cover it with the other pan. Watch until the bottom is brown and the top is full of air holes. Keep the cover pan in place and flip the bread into the lid. Place back on the stove with the bottom pan as the cover and continue cooking until the bread springs back when you touch it. The whole process takes only about 10 minutes.

My guests enjoyed the two soups and hot cornbread and not having to cook dinner for themselves. We topped the humble meal off with warm peach cobbler (from the freezer) with whipped topping and coffee. Dinner conversation touched briefly on a bad back, to memories of grandmothers who didn't wear drawers, to my grandmother's reaction to Uncle Monk's big drunk and turning in the local moonshiner, to where and how to pee on the golf course, to upcoming travel plans, to Dave's new children's book, to early-in-life church experiences and registered sex offenders and pedofiles in our neighborhood. I was amazed that cleaning out the fridge could encourage such a diverse conversation between just five people.

With my seven children I am never at a loss to recall a favorite story or two, or seven. And I was really lucky to have two grandmothers and a grandfather in my life who continue to give me fodder for my writing and conversation. Last night I told a couple of stories about my mother that my children had remembered. When I asked my two oldest if they had a funny memory of Granny they both had stories I hadn't heard before. It's interesting to get your children's take on what they remember about your parent instead of your own memory.

During cleanup from the dinner, and much to my dismay, I could hardly make room for the two small containers of left-over soup in my fridge. What happened? I was supposed to be making room so I could clean out an empty space. I guess on the trip to the store for corn and beans I bought a few things I thought I needed.

No, Digging, No Tilling, No Weeding, No Kidding!

2009-01-17T11:15:00.000-08:00

When I began my first lasagna garden I used what I had; grass clippings, barn litter (horse manure and sawdust) and peat moss. I piled layers of grass, manure and peat right on top of the ground. I planted right into the layers and plants and seeds grew rapidly. Weeds loved it! In addition to deep-rooted weeds that came to the surface, weed seeds in the horse manure germinated and grew. I grew the biggest weeds I ever saw in that first garden. It was clear something needed to be done to control weed growth.

In my all-natural garden I wanted none of black plastic or woven ground cover. I also resisted spending money when I might get something to do the job free. When I went away on a small vacation I found the answer when I returned. Before leaving I put out garbage and recycled trash on the curb. Stacks of newspaper were set on the grass. When I returned everything was gone except the stacks of newspaper. It had rained after I put them out and they were no longer good for recycling. I went to get my wheelbarrow to move them and found the answer to my weed barrier problem. When I picked up the stacks of wet paper I found the grass dead and earth worms right on the surface. I could pick up handfulls of soft soil that was filled with worm castings. The bottom of the paper stack was partly eaten away by the earth worms. I could use wet newspaper to cover the base of a new garden and it would stop weed growth and serve as a food source for earthworms who would dig and till the garden. And it was free.

I put the paper to work right away. Wearing my barn boots I stomped down weeds then covered up the layers of grass, manure and peat with wet paper. I began again to layer, this time on top of the paper. It was fall so I made the layers tall so they could compost over the winter. When spring came I planted into the layers. It was my best garden ever.

The next fall I laid out another garden. This time the garden was located on an old parking area and I planned an extensive herb garden in the timeless patterns I had seen at Williamsburg, VA. I was ready with plenty of material for both gardens and paths. After measuring the gardens and paths I covered the beds with paper and the paths with cardboard. I covered the cardboard with wood chips and the garden beds with layers of wet newspaper almost two feet of organic material. When the snow began falling I walked away from the project and waited until spring.

In the spring I found only a few inches of material left from the two feet of material I had layered up in the fall but, when I pulled the paper back, I found another few inches of cultivated soil under the paper. It had been cultivated by earthworms working up from deep in the ground to get to the newspaper. What had been a hard packed, grassy parking lot was now loose rich soil ready for planting. I planted my herbs and had one of the most wonderful garden experiences ever. That year folks came from all over to see my new herb garden and I gave my first garden tour and lecture on lasagna gardening.

What had started as a walk in the woods had resulted in a new way of life. I put in practice what Mother Nature had shown me and created gardens that gave me something to talk about. I made a move in my personal life and an actual move from the inn to my farm. I used lasagna gardening to create about thirty more gardens and began to write about my experiences in a garden column for a local paper. A woman came to my gardens and opened up my world to... but that's another story...

My Grandmother's Aprons

2009-01-12T08:55:00.000-08:00

My grandmother's aprons still hold a facination for me. I attach significent importance to the one remaining apron I rescued from her house. However, I have collected a stack of aprons that remind me of her. These are some of the collected ones.

The fact is, any apron that may seem old or be made from bits and pieces of fabric and trim draws my attention and I will buy it and add it to the stash. Recently I bought a new apron that seemed to be just the thing for one of my granddaughters.

Just to set the record straight, the grandmother I write and talk about is a composite. It would often be too confusing to the reader if I tried to seperate the two very different women. This is the first time I have tried to tell both of their stories.

I was lucky to have two grandmothers: Mama Webb and Ninnie. My mother's mother, Mama Webb, was there at my birth and for much of my young life. Ninnie Neal, my father's mother, was there also and even though she worked outside the home was a very big part of my life. My one grandfather, Black Daddy, was a quiet and mostly sober precence and may have set the tone for men that would come and go in my life.

I remember that Mama Webb wore utilitarian aprons, many made from feed sacks. She was wearing one the day I was born and wrapped me in it when Dr. Dooley handed me to her. Her aprons were worn to protect her dress and it wasn't until she was in her 70's, when she beought the concession stand at the Star-Light Drive-in Theater, that she changed to pretty little frilly styles.

Ninnie wore home-spun or muslin aprons that were starched heavy and ironed as good a white shirt. She put on a clean one each morning and made sure there was a fresh one hanging by the back door. If company came she would change aprons. Ninnie's aprons always had a pocket where she carried her handkerchief.

Mama Webb's aprons were always big enough to pull up at the bottom corners and create a pouch. She was always carrying things in her aprons: vegetables from the garden, peelings to the compost pile, kindling for the wood stove or clothes pins for hanging out wet clothes on the line. That apron was an extension of herself and it would be hard to imagine her without one.

It's hard to imagine your grandmother ever being young. Even when they were young they looked old to me except for one picture where Mama Webb was an unmarried girl still living at home. She and her family had a sitting photo and she was pictured standing where you could appriciate her 18 inch waist. I never had that view of Ninnie. She was always old to me.

My grandmothers always wore dresses, stockings and lace-up black shoes. The first thing they did after dressing in the morning was to put on a apron and when the day's work was done they removed it. Mama Webb's work wasn't finished until bedtime, many times shelling beans or shaking a gallon jug of soured milk to make buttermilk while listening to the radio. Ninnie on the other hand was finished when she cleaned the kitchen after supper.

Mama Webb was a young widow with four children and made her living doing washing and ironing for neighbors. She also share-cropped: she planted, tended and shared the harvest of someone else's garden. In addition she always had a big garden of her own and put up most of the harvest to feed the family all year.

Ninnie married when she was sixteen and her first job, in addition to bearing six, and raising four, sons, was to run a boarding house for coal miners. (Did I mention Black Daddy was a coal miner? He came home from the mines covered with coal dust and I dubbed him my Black Daddy when I was really young.) Her second job was when Black Daddy bought the coal mine, sold the boarding house and moved her closer to town on a farm. She managed the farm which was a fullt-time job. Her last job was when Black Daddy sold the mine and the farm and moved his family into town. He also bought a cafe where Ninnie ran the kitchen and he tended the bar. She made chili and hamburgers and he opened long-neck bottles of beer at Neal's Cafe. Ninnie finally retired when my Uncle Cobb Webb ran over Black Daddy and broke his leg. There was no one to run the cafe so they sold it.

Mama Webb, on the other hand, never went into retirement but rather went into business. At age 70 she bought the concession stand at the drive-in, built a small house near the exit and began the job of taking care of the needs of theater goers. She made sloppy joe mix, bought candy and popcorn and new uniforms. Her idea of what she should wear was a white uniform, a frilly handkerchief for the pocket and an equally frilly apron to match the handkerchief. By this time in her life she should have been putting her feet up instead of walking across the gravel parking lot and working every night.

When my grandmother's finally retired they gave up everything excpet their aprons. They still got up each morning and tied the strings of an apron that would keep their dresses clean. My last memories of them was one of them wearing one of them wearing feed-sack aprons used just to keep them neat and tidy for short times each day or when they were in the garden.

Lasagna Gardening History

2009-01-09T07:28:00.000-08:00

I was an innkeeper in the Catskills. My time was limited and the ground was mostly rock; digging a garden was not a choice. Thousands of gardeners and farmers had come before me and had been successful but they had plowed, dug and tilled the earth in order to grow. I just wanted to grow a few herbs for the kitchen at my inn and my pitiful efforts in digging had resulted in less cultivated soil than I desired.

Innkeeping was the hardest job I ever had; bed and breakfast guests, bar and pizza guests, lunch and dinner guests and catering guests by the hundreds. My preperation for this job was being a mother of seven children where I had experience in keeping house, making beds, cooking three meals a day and lots and lots of laundry. However, like being a mother, it was one of the most rewarding jobs also. I wouldn't trade my years there, and all the wonderful people I met, for a less hetic and calm life.

My life was also frustrating at times and it was my habit to "run away" for a walk in the woods to calm myself. It was on one of these walks I found a way to have my gardens without the hard work usually associated with gardening in rocky soil. I tripped over a root and fell down hard, knocking the breath out of my lungs. As I lay on the ground I looked around me for the first time in several years. What I saw was Mother Nature at work; dropping leaves, twigs and even whole trees where they lay breaking down and creating a layer of rich humus. Seeds had fallen and germinated in this out-of-the-way spot and a new generation of trees, wildflowers and brambles had come to life. Mother Nature had done this without the help of man, or bossy women.

As I sat on the ground I moved a layer of leaves aside and scooped up a handful of humus to smell. As I breathed in the pungent scent it took me back to my grandmother's cellar. I remembered what that dug space had smelled like and how a raw potato had tasted. As I sat there remembering sweeter times I thought if Mother Nature had created all these wonderful growing conditions by chance what could I do with all the resources I had at hand but using her example.

I picked myself up, dusted off the leaves and turned to retrace my steps. The inn was my home and I had gardens to make on the grounds surrounding the inn. I couldn't wait to see what I could use to help me make a garden like Mother Nature had.

The first things I saw as I came out of the woods were the rows of cut grass left laying on top of the fields. I walked by the neighbors barn and stopped to rub the nose of Kate, their horse. As I stood stroking the smooth velvet I saw beyond her to piles of composted barn litter. It was a beginning and the cut grass and barn litter, rich with manure, would be layers in my new gardens.

It was near dinner time and I had a job to do before I could think of gardening. I changed to whites and began preperation for a night of a hundred diners ordering chicken, fish, veal and pasta dishes. As I pounded veal, diced vegetables and boiled water for cooking pasta I let my mind wander to a place where I could have a garden; one with lots of sun and located on level ground. I could see it best located beside the store building and I would actually be able to see it from the inn's kitchen window as I worked.

The next morning I walked the proposed area and got out my wheelbarrow. I began by loading and hauling several loads of cut grass from the fields. This I placed right on top of the garden area. I didn't weed, dig or till the area; just covered it up. Next I asked for and got permission to remove the oldest of the piles of barn litter from my neighbor's field. I used this to cover the layer of cut grass. By the time I was finished for the day the layered garden area looked like a plowed garden. I went to work that night feeling pleased with my efforts.

The next day I emptied the contents of a large composter onto the garden then hauled more grass clippings from the fields. The "garden" layers were about a foot high at this point and ready to have plants inserted into the layers. I was tired but happy at the way things were going and looked forward to the next day and buying plants.

After a trip to the farmers co-op I had enough plants to begin but a day of rain delayed me. When the rain cleared and a new day had begun it was time to plant. I pulled the layers of grass, compost and barn litter aside and inserted my plants. As I pulled the layers of organic material back around the roots of the new plants I imagined they would appreciate the rich material they had been given to grow in.

During the days that followed I tended the new plants, keeping the roots moist. It seemed to me I could sprinkle seeds in and around the plants and see what they would do. I planted seeds of annual flowers and herbs and marked where they were. My thoughts were of the days of summer and of mature tomatoes, peppers, basil and edible flowers.

It was not to be as my duties as an innkeeper took more time and energy than I had expected and the garden was left to fend for itself. I would stand at the kitchen window and imagine the weeds growing tall as I watched but it was "the season" and I needed to work. There was no strength left to garden after my work day was done. It was late summer before I could go back to the garden.

Imagine my surprise when I found bits and pieces of the plants and seeds I had planted in and amoung the weeds. I waded in and pulled enough weeds to see the over-ripe tomatoes, rotting peppers, over-grown cucumbers and stalks of basil. Instead of time-consuming weeding I lay down cardboard on the paths between the rows, leaving the rows of vegetables and herbs standing. These I weeded by hand until I could see where the fruit was. By the time I had to leave the garden I had gathered several baskets of good fruit and handfuls of herbs. I was elated that the simple layering method of organic material had supported the plants and seeds I had sown but knew something had to be done about the weeds.

A couple of weeks later that answer was revealed to me. Come back for that story.

Winter on the Lake

2009-01-08T11:42:00.000-08:00

Dave and I live in a house on a small lake in Tennessee. I always wanted to live on a lake and finding this house was a blessing. Our lot has a gentle incline so it is easy to walk down to the water. The house is filled with windows and the view is always changing; woods border both sides and the water is ever changing.

The winter wind blows off the lake cool and crisp but the sun warms you into forgetting it's really winter. Today the water is rippled from the brisk breeze and the "everyday" fisherman is no where in sight. Tennessee winters are mild compared to New York or Michigan and it's not unusual to see a pontoon boat filled with boaters clad in coats and hats taking a turn around the shore line on New Year's Day.

Most days you can see a variety of birds from our deck including several different kinds of woodpeckers, cardinals and finch. My personal favorite are Chick-a-dees but we are lucky to have blue birds and they run a close second.

Living in Tennessee means we are about half way between our friends and family and Florida. This gives them a destination where they can spend the night and get a "catch-up" on news and a hot breakfast before continuing toward the sun. Many times it is nicer weather here than it is at their destination. This week my brother and his wife (from Illinois) are making a stop for an overnight and not leaving until they get biscuits and sausage and gravy.

Retirement for Dave and I means we are able to do what we want more than ever before. For us writing is what we most want to do. Dave published his first book in 1978, How to Grow Houseplants, and his second, The Little House on Buchanan Street, in 2008. His next book, Cattleya and Catopsis, will be out next month. Dave has been writing for a very long time. Gardening is the way he gets away from his writing. Dave's gardens face the lake.

My writing began when I was newly divorced and on my own for the first time in my life. I first wrote letters that were not meant to be mailed but acted as way to get rid of my frustrations. Later I wrote weekly columns for the local newspaper. I wrote about my gardens, favorite plants and living on a mountain top in New York. My columns became a book, topics for lectures and three Lasagna Gardening books. Today I am writing several things but the first published will be a re-write on the book "My Garden Doctor" first published in 1914. It is such a wonderful little book I want others to be able to enjoy it as I have.

My lasagna gardens bordering the front door are a happy way to go in and out and I enjoy the herbs and sedums more every year. It was easy to install this garden; I laid down wet newspaper and covered it with peat moss, grass clippings and chipped leaves. Once I laid down pavers I planted around them and mulched the whole thing. As soon as I find the photos I will post them for you to see.

About Patricia Lanza

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Patricia Lanza: Mother of seven children, grandmother of nine, book author and lecturer and devoted companion to my best friend. After my children were grown and gone, after my life as a Navy wife and innkeeper was over I began a new life as a single grandmother, full-time gardener and writer. With a method I called Lasagna Gardening I created a new life as a lecturer and book author writing and talking about Lasagna Gardening and life. Actually I talked about my life both in and out of the garden and how I became a book author. My books and lectures took me on the road and I saw more of the world in a few years than I had in the rest of my life. My newest book, due out in 2009, is a "My Garden Doctor". It is a reprint of a book published in 1914 with a new forward and epilogue. Sharing my life and garden practice and inspiring others to write about their own lives gives me great pleasure. Author: Create Wonderful Gardens, Lasagna Gardening, Lasagna Gardening for Small Spaces, Lasagna Gardening with Herbs, My Grandmother's Aprons, My Garden Doctor.

Connect

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I would love the hear your lasagna gardening stories!

Post your story and photograph links below.

Follow me on twitter @Patricia_Lanza

Got a Facebook page? Look for my fan page: Patricia Lanza

How about Flickr? I'm there too! Find: Lasagna Gardening in the 'People' search.

Check back for a list of my tour dates.

Have a question? Click the email link below and let me know what's on your mind.

Media

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My Garden Doctor

My Lasagna Gardening Book Series:

I also had the privilege to contribute to the book
My Mother's Garden, a heartwarming collection of essays and stories-from beloved classics and modern favorites, authored by writing gardeners
and gardening writers alike.

All these books can be found on Amazon.com and other booksellers near you

Here is a list of some articles online about Lasagna Gardening. I would love to hear about your Lasagna Gardening experience. Feel free to share in the comment section at the end of this page.

DYI Life.com
5 Qs/5 Mins: Patricia Lanza, author of Lasagna Gardening

by Diane Rixon on Aug 4th 2009

Chicago Tribune.com:
'Recommended reading: 4 great vegetable gardening books'
article by Jessica Daminao
~
Associated Content:
'Lasagna Gardening: The Easy Way to Create Raised Garden Beds'
article by Julia Williams
~
Oprah.com: 'Lasagna Gardening 101'
article by Erin White
~
DestinySurvival.com:
'Jump Start Your Survival Garden' with Lasagna Gardening
~
Craig, CO Craig Daily Press: 'Lasagna Gardening'
article by Caroline Dotson
~
Times Colonist: 'Lasagna gardens grow like weeds'
article by Helen Chesnut
~
Douglas Dispatch: 'Lasagna gardening at Farmer's Market'
article by Denise
~
Commercialappeal.com: 'Gardening in layers:
It might sound cheesy,
lasagna gardening stacks all the stuff that plants love'
article by Christine Arpe Gang
~
Garden recipes: 'Lasagna gardening eases strain on body'
article by Jane McBride
~
growing ideas: Classroom Projects -
Building Soil Nature's Way:
Exploring decomposition and soil health
~
The New York Times: 'Cuttings; In Brooklyn,
Lasagna Gardening (No Pasta)
article by Anne Raver
~
Pittsburgh, PA Post-Gazette: Home Showcase:
'Lasagna gardening cuts weeding
and watering and still produces'
article by Lynda Guydon Taylor
~
The New Yorker: 'Five Books To Make Your Garden Grow'
article by Vicky Raab
~
Thrifty Fun: 'An Introduction to Lasagna Gardening'
article by Ellen Brown
~
Abilene Reporter News/Home & Garden: 'Lasagna gardening'
article by Celinda Emision
~
Mother Earth News - 'Lasagna Gardening' article
by Patricia Lanza
~
Lasagna Gardening 101
~
Newspapers in Education: Read and Recycle:
'Growing Pizza Vegies in a Lasagna Garden'
article by Dinah Voyles Pulver
~
The Free Library by Farlex:
'Lasagna gardening worked like a charm'
article in Countryside by reader Jessica Chipps
~
How To Garden Guide.com:
'Lasagna Gardening - What is the Lasagna Gardening Technique?'
article by John
~
Johnson County Kansas - Human Services & Aging:
'Try Lasagna Gardening'
article by Margaret Fisher
~
Gardening Know How:
'Benefits of a Backyard Suburban Garden'
article by Debbie Slack
~
Organic Gardening:
'All-The-Time Blooming Gardens'
Adapted from Lasagna Gardening for Small Spaces
by Patricia Lanza
~
Gardening at the Crossroads: 'No Dig Gardening'
~

Links

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I have listed a few sites I have found interesting:

Garden Of Organic Delights