Most of the materials you need to make a lasagna garden are readily available and free, Patricia says. While you can buy bags of mulch and peat moss to make some of your garden's layers, Patricia suggests asking neighbors or someone at your local waste management facility for their yard waste and old newspapers at no cost you. Here are some more typical materials you can use as layers in your lasagna garden. Remember, Patricia says to layer them at a ratio of one part green to four parts brown.

Green Layers:

• Grass clippings
• Barn litter
• Coffee grounds
• Seaweed
• Blood meal
  

Brown Layers:

• Newspaper (use as your first layer)
• Cardboard (use as your first layer)
• Shredded office paper
• Fall leaves
• Wood chips/twigs/shredded branches
• Mulch
• Peat moss
• Hay
• Straw
• Sawdust
  

You will likely want to build a path around your garden to access it easily. Patricia suggests making paths by laying down flattened cardboard boxes, wetting them with water and covering them with rough mulch. The paths make it easier to get to your garden during the growing season so you can water, add more mulch and harvest what you grow.

What makes lasagna gardening earth-friendly?