This method has environmental benefits, such as reducing waste and promoting sustainable gardening practices. According to Dave Kayfes, a master gardener and compost specialist with the Oregon State University Extension Service, sheet composting is a low-maintenance and beneficial practice that can be used to create a no-till patch ready for planting.
A single layer of cardboard or mulch can be used to suppress weeds and preserve soil moisture… but multiple layers of nitrogen and carbon can be used to build a self-composting bed. The process of sheet composting is a form of cold composting, which means it may take longer to decompose the materials, “often taking six months or longer.” However, “the resulting composition can be used as a nutrient-rich soil amendment.”.. providing a boost of energy and nutrients to plants.
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Lasagna gardening may sound like the most delicious pastime, but it doesn’t actually refer to growing the tomatoes, herbs, and wheat that you could turn into the classic tiered pasta . Instead, it’s another term for sheet composting, a technique in which layered materials add nitrogen and carbon to your soil as they decompose, creating a self-sustaining cold compost pile that you can sow seeds (or transplant starts) into directly.
The process has environmental benefits that mirror other types of composting—like reducing your waste stream as you add food scraps and cardboard to your garden instead of your trash can and helping you grow a thriving backyard garden that reduces your dependence on commercial food production. But it also requires less effort than other types of composting, saysDave Kayfes, a master gardener and compost specialist with the Oregon State University Extension Service. Sheet composting doesn’t require any turning; it works with varying ratios of nitrogen to carbon; it leaves microbes alone to break down the materials; and it leaves you with a no-till patch that’s ready for planting. Ahead, we talked to Kayfes to learn more about this easy, beneficial gardening practice.
A single layer of cardboard or mulch can offer a small-scale version of lasagna gardening, suppressing weeds and preserving the moisture within the soil. But building a deeper pile with multiple layers of nitrogen and carbon allows you to build a self-composting bed anywhere in your yard.
Sheet composting is a form of cold composting. Without turning the pile and adjusting the nitrogen ratio, you’re preventing the layers from heating up. This means it takes longer for the materials in the pile to decompose—often six months or longer.
A pile built toward the end of the summer and into early fall is often ready for planting in the spring; if the layers ⁘look and smell like fresh earth,⁘ you can bury seeds or transplant young plants using the same method you would in any other garden. The layers will have decomposed, creating a rich mixture of carbon and nitrogen to give your plants a boost of energy and nutrients.
