Sheet mulching newbie question

I am brand new here and new to permaculture. We live in an urban environment and are sheet mulching our lawn. We have all we need - compost, cardboard, and wood chips. I am now confused about the order of the sheet mulching lasagna. We were told to layer compost on grass first, then layer cardboard, then woodchips on top. I did a quick search on the internet and most sites list the order differently - cardboard on grass, then compost, then wood chips. Does it matter? Is there any difference? The first layering method was recommended by our landscaper (compost-cardboard-wood chips). Thank you!

Welcome to Permies!

It's my understanding that the cardboard functions as a barrier to unwanted weeds (your grass) and seeds. So if the compost you plan on using possibly contains seeds that you don't want, the cardboard should go on top of the compost.

Good luck!

I agree with Amy. If the compost has any weed seeds put it on the grass and then the cardboard and then the woodchips. But if the compost does not have weed seeds I would do cardboard then compost and then woodchips.

Also, you can just sheet mulch with just cardboard and woodchips. That is what I normally do on my wild homestead.

Good luck and welcome to permies!

Thank you so much for a warm welcome and your replies. The compost is from Cedar Grove and does not contain any weed seeds. We will do the cardboard first. Since we already have the pile of compost in our driveway, we might as well use it.

Thank you for clarifying the lasagna recipe!

I might take a step back and determine if all are needed. There is only one weed that I would consider a weed in my parts. It is bermuda (in a garden setting but not a pasture setting).

In an area without bermuda I would not use the cardboard. No reason for it. In fact, cardboard can have disastrous effects. Every sheet I placed down became a home for fire ants. I have to really want the bermuda gone to trade off for fire ants.

The compost and woodchips becomes a haven for rollie pollies (pill bugs). My solution is to not let fruit touch the ground (stakes). If it does,  the rollie pollies get after them.

It is a situation for my area but worth mentioning.