In recent years the term lasagna gardening has become a wildly popular catch phrase in the online gardening community. Promising simple and easy construction with very little work. But is it really a viable option for homeowners who want to start their own victory garden this year? For those unfamiliar with lasagna gardening it is described as the layering of organic materials such as leaves and grass Cheap Oregon Ducks Jersey , shredded paper and vegetable scraps. The theory is that as the material breaks down it creates rich fluffy soil for your garden without any work.
There is a never ending supply of new ways that promise easier and faster ways to yield results. The basic fact that nature works on her own design continues to elude some of the best intentioned. I have been writing for years that gardening is a process, not an event.
I am not a person that is easily distracted by passing fads. I am an organic gardener at heart for the simple reason it is the way of nature. I view every new idea for gardening with a dubious and skeptical eye. When you are working in harmony with nature you can t help but be successful. Conversely Cheap Oklahoma State Cowboys Jersey , when you try to circumvent the process you are doomed to failure.
The classic example is the gardener who is obsessed with growing tomatoes. He wants the biggest, brightest fruit in the shortest amount of time so he decides to use a synthetic chemical to force the plant to mature at an unnatural speed. Yes Cheap Oklahoma Sooners Jersey , they can get some incredible results. Sometimes. The only thing miracle like with these chemicals is that people continue to be suckered by all the deceptive marketing and pretty packaging. Unfortunately, there is precious little thought about all the chemicals that plant has absorbed and how much of it we are ingesting. Do NOT tell me that you care about the environment when you are using toxic chemicals. The cumulative effect of consuming food that is laced with toxins is evidenced today in most peoples health.
My experience watching others who have jumped into this fad has been entertaining at times and has provided numerous teaching moments. What I typically see is a homeowner who has essentially built an anaerobic compost pile that stinks and everything planted just rots right along with it. While there is merit in using shredded organic materials around plantings in your raised bed gardens to control weeds and converse moisture Cheap Ohio State Buckeyes Jersey , it is folly to think that you can plant in this media with any degree of success. It is true that all these layers will decompose and contribute to the fertility of the soil, but they do NOT create soil in and of itself.
Fertile soil is a complex structure of humis Cheap Notre Dame Fighting Irish Jersey , organic matter and an array of minerals. It is comprised of natural elements such as calcium, magnesium and potassium. It also contains diverse populations of micro organisms such as protozoa Cheap North Carolina Tar Heels Jersey , fungi, bacteria Cheap Michigan Wolverines Jersey , nematodes and earthworms. This is not going to be replaced by the layered or lasagna method, no matter how well intentioned.
A better approach to gardening is the raised bed method that is constructed directly on the ground and filled with a correct soil mixture with a pH level balanced correctly for the intended crop. Then use only one layer of shredded paper or grass around your plantings. Now if you have been planning on building a lasagna garden this year and have been saving newspapers and cardboard Cheap Miami Hurricanes Jersey , use them in your new compost pile instead. Next season you can mix it all in with your existing raised beds to increase the nutrient and organic matter levels. The bottom line? I recommend sticking with methods that are tried and true and save the lasagna experiments for Garfield.
Copyright 2010 Greg Traver Author's Resource Box
Greg Traver is a freelance copywriter with a passion for nature. His work is featured on thousands of websites and blogs worldwide. To contact him or to learn more about becoming successful gardener simply visit ===> http: .
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Planning a wedding and want a unique wedding favor to send home with your guests? Coffee wedding favors are a very popular and unique item that will be used with joy. Don't get something that will just sit on a shelf and collect dust or worse yet get put in the back closet and your guests home. By giving a wedding coffee favor you can ensure that you are giving your guests something they will use. Not only will they enjoy using the gift they will enjoy thinking about the wonderful memories and fun times they had at the wedding as they sip their wonderful full bodied flavorful coffee.
Well, if you are already sold on coffee wedding favors then you will want to read through this article for some easy ideas to really make unique and outstanding wedding favors.
Coffee- This is the obvious place to start as it will be the central theme to your wedding favor. You should try and plan the theme of the wedding first and then select a coffee that goes along with that theme. For example an easy one would be if you are getting married in Maui or even having a Hawaiian theme wedding you will want to use Kona Coffee in your wedding favor basket. If you have not yet selected a theme for the wedding another thing you can do is look for a local coffee roaster and purchase from them. This will give you guests a little taste of the local area and it supports your local businesses also. Of course if neither of these easily fit into your wedding and still do not strike an idea for you a third option would be to choose your own favorite flavor of coffee. Do you love a certain blend at your local coffee shop or maybe something fancy from Starbucks? Well Cheap Lsu Tigers Jersey , choose this as your coffee. As forethought you might want to purchase both regular caffeinated coffee and some decaffeinated.