• slide
  • slide
  • slide
  • slide
  • slide
  • slide
  • slide
  • slide

Build Great Garden Soil with Lasagna Gardening

Put yard waste to work and improve your soil with Pat Lanza’s lasagna gardening.

Measure your garden bed. A 4 x 8 foot wide bed allows easy access and is a manageable size for most gardeners.  Cover the area with moist newspaper. Wet newspaper tends to stay in place even on those windy days. Add a handful of soil just to be sure.

Next add a 2 to 3 inch layer of peat moss or compost. Top this with 4 to 8 inches of plant debris such as leaves. Sprinkle a bit of fertilizer over this layer. Repeat the layers, just like making lasagna, until your garden is 18 to 24 inches high.

You can plant immediately. Plant transplants in your lasagna garden as you normally would.  For seeds, sprinkle compost or potting mix on top of the beds and plant.

As you can see we had a productive garden our first season.

A bit more information: Use leaves and evergreen needles as mulch in the garden. Spread a 2 to 3 inch layer over the soil surface. You’ll suppress weeds, conserve moisture and improve the soil as the materials decompose.

Upcoming Live Events
& Webinars

Jan. 28, 2026
FREE WEBINAR: 
Past, Present & Future of Mitchell Park and its Conservatory, the Domes  
Register here

Feb. 13 - 15, 2026
PBS Wisconsin
Garden & Green Living EXPO

Madison, WI
More information

Feb. 18, 2026
FREE WEBINAR: 
Plants that Go the Distance
Register here

Feb. 25, 2026
FREE WEBINAR:
Flowering Houseplants

Register here

Mar. 5, 2026
FREE WEBINAR:
Start New Plants from Seeds, Cuttings and More

Register here

Mar. 11, 2026
FREE WEBINAR:
Save Money & Boost Your Growing Success with Bare Root Plants

Register here

Mar. 18, 2026
FREE WEBINAR:
Patio, Deck and Balcony Gardens

Register here

March 26, 2026
FREE WEBINAR: 
Getting Started Growing Vegetable and Flower Gardens
Register here

WATCH ON-DEMAND WEBINARS

Learn More

Book an Appearance

Learn More

Enter for the chance to win a Milwaukee Domes Alliance membership & merchandise!

ENTER NOW