I don't want to use chemicals to remove grass this time around or ever again. Also, the shoveling experience is just to time consuming.

I thought about either renting a gas powered sod cutter $100+ for the day.


I can't find a kick sod cutter for less than $400 which I really like.


Any input is welcome or alternative ideas are welcome.

Your* rows

Time to hire myself a proof reader too

I would rent the sod cutter - removing turf is one of my least favorite things to do in the garden. It is hard on the old back, especially if the lawn is old and the soil is heavy as it is here. I prefer to save my energy for other things - there's always plenty to choose from!

The method that works really great, is cheap, and not labor intensive is to solarize using a plastic tarp that doesn't let sunlight in. This method requires a bit of pre-planning as it takes a while, but requires no chemicals and you get good results. You can add any organic material you want on top of sod, cover with the tarp cut into the shape you want, and let the worms and insects do their job. If you start this process this spring for beds you want to start next year it's perfect. If you're in a hurry, this won't work. When you take off the tarp the next spring you will find the sod all dead and decayed, and the soil all loose and worked up by the worms. The compost will be broken down and worked into the soil. You can then just plant.

Another modified way to do this in a raised bed is to lay down a layer of cardboard over the sod, and fill the bed with new soil right on top of the sod. The sod will die, the cardboard will break down in time, and your plants can send their roots right through it into the soil below. Much less labor intensive then removing sod and filling new soil back in. Good luck!

I've used the cardboard method to create large garden beds on hard clay, works very well. Tried solarizing but think I waited too long into the summer to put the plastic down, didn't seem to help as much as I'd hoped.

I have been shovel cutting my sod. If done after a good rain, or soaking with the hose, it is relatively easy to lift the sod. It is just heavy to lift. My neighbor has grass in his front yard now made from the sod I have cut out for beds. Since you are going to make much larger beds I would suggest you use the sod cutter for this year's and solarize now for later beds.

I have used the cardboard method and it works well. A thick layer of old newspapers will work too. A big area covered in plastic can be a bit of an eye sore in a small garden and it does take some patience.

You can always put your pot ghetto on top ofthe plastic.

Wouldn't that slow down the solarization process Tom????

I might not get as hot under the tarp, but it would suffocate the weeds, and the grass would decompose.

Tom!

I always seem to do things the hard way, so I would be removing it by shovel. I also have some bermuda/torpedo grass that has worked its way into my lawn, so I would want to be sure to remove all of its roots. Otherwise, I would try the "lasagna" method others have mentioned. As for solarizing....I have way too much wild life activity in my garden to try that.

Good luck on the project and do take care of your back and knees!

tveguy3 said:You can always put your pot ghetto on top ofthe plastic.

The heat radiated from the dark plastic would effectively bake any potted plant on it i think. It gets unrelentingly hot in the august sun here. You could put some mulch on the plastic or bark and then put the plants on it but that may diminish the heat to kill the grass under the plastic.

The grass dies from lack of sun. If you wet the soil under the tarp, the weed seeds start to germinate and then die for lack of sun. I grow my veggie garden on tarps with holes for the plants. Virtually ends weeding the garden. Doesn't work for row crops. This may not work in really hot regions, but here our temps often get in the 90's in the summer. The tarp keeps the moisture in the soil. I can put a soaker hose under it to water.



Too bad we can't do this for irises,

I thought the idea was to *cook* the unwanted grass/weeds. If the process is just to keep the sun from the soil you could use the plastic and cover it with anything. Even burlap would do and not get too hot. I used to use thick newspapers in my garden rows between the plants to keep down weeds. It helped a lot. Once the paper got wet it stuck together and did not blow around. The weeds did not get through it and the earthworms loved the paper. At that time we did not use any colored portions of the paper. At the end of the growing year the paper could be tilled into the soil.

Tom and Liz B ~ Thank you for your inspiration. I went outside and look what I just did! If it works, I will be very happy and thankful.

The old way that I started before...

This took me about an hour instead of a month.

Right on! Good for you Evelyn

The lasagna thing works well if you can wait to plant and don't have evil weeds in your lawn and it's not a hill--
but bermuda grass and bindwind among others, are happy to grow right through that kinda stuff, no matter how high you pile it...and then of course, piled high and wet, it will slide right down the hill if you are dumb enough to try that don't ask me how I know

I so want to ask.

...and then of course, piled high and wet, it will slide right down the hill if you are dumb enough to try that don't ask me how I know [/quote]

I know!

When we live in LA County the hill behind the house was sandstone. I dug out out areas in the sandstone to hold large boulders then applied the dirt with composted horse manure from the pasture behind the boulders. It worked great. The boulders were scattered around and not placed in a line. The bonus was I've never seen so many earthworms.