Lasagna compost with cardboards

Hi all!!

here in the city is really difficult to find straw and leaves or any dry material to supply carbon to the lasagna pile. I was thinking to put lots of cardboards instead. What do you think? would it do the trick? Maybe soaked in water and then shredded as layer of the lasagna...

cheers
Roby

My concern with it possibly not working well is that cardboard has a tendency to mat down and form a layer that roots can't get through.  It can also wick moisture away and cause a bed to dry out unless you water a lot or are in a wet climate.  Personally I would do a small trial bed to see if it works for you the way you want.  But a variety of materials including any leaves you can get would be best, I think.

Indeed I was thinking about break the cardboard down to little pieces so to facilitate the work for the worms but I wasnt thinking about the watering issue. I thought the cardboard would keep the heap moisted so I wouldnt have to water it too much.. isnt this one of the good properties of the sheet mulching?

psytek wrote:
Indeed I was thinking about break the cardboard down to little pieces so to facilitate the work for the worms but I wasnt thinking about the watering issue. I thought the cardboard would keep the heap moisted so I wouldnt have to water it too much.. isnt this one of the good properties of the sheet mulching?

I think it would work. Also, I'd recommend putting kitchen or veggie scraps on top of it to further attract decomposers like worms and to break up and aerate the pile.

It is as simple as that: phone one tree pruning service or a general garden yard maintenance. And one lawn mowing service. Tell them that they dump their "rubbish" in front of your door. You will have more than enough woody materials ans lawn clippings and maybe even leaves.

Two years ago, I did just what you are thinking about doing. Ludi is correct. The cardboard will form a mat which will inhibit root growth into the soil. But you can use that to your advantage.

I put down cardboard and filled the rest of a raised bed with enough soil, compost, and mulch material so that I could grow my garden in the added soil. I did this because I wanted to smother the bermuda grass below my garden area. The next year the cardboard had decomposed enough that roots could penetrate the soil without having to compete with the grass.

Before finding this forum and thread, I had planned on growing apples from seed strictly as a way to grow my own rootstock to be utilized in propagation (following normal pruning).  As we all know, "apples do not grow true from seed", but from many of your observations, they can grow good apples.  So, the consensus is about 20% spitters..  That does not phase me...as a typical PC homestead, I plan to have pigs and chickens...when did they ever turn their noses (beaks) up at a free treat?