Then there is the simple benefit of reducing the lawn-care chores.
The less turfgrass you have in your landscape, the less mowing/weeding/fertilizing you’ll need to do.
In fact, one of the fastest-growing trends in residential landscaping is replacing grass lawns with non-grass substitutes.
The Spruce / Steven Merkel
There are several ways to remove or kill the grass to make room for garden planting areas.
Some of these methods are fairly simple but require patience and time.
Others are very quick, but they require a strong back and plenty of energy.
The Spruce / Steven Merkel
No matter which method you use, you’ll end up with less lawn and more gardening space.
It will speed things up and make the process easier.
Begin with a thorough watering to soften the planned garden area.
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Use either a half-moon edger or a sharp spade tocut the sodat the edges of your new planting bed.
Cut the area into a series of narrow strips using the spade.
Once you’ve got the edges and strips outlined, then it’s time to dig.
The Spruce / Steven Merkel
There are many tools for removing sod, but a good sharp spade or shovel works just fine.
Pros
Once it’s done, it’s done.
You have a bed, ready to plant.
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Cons
It is alotof physical work.
If you have back or joint issues, you may want to leave this job to someone else.
Sealing the edges of the plastic will help keep the heat in and speed up the process.
The Spruce / Steven Merkel
Once the grass is dead, pull up the plastic,amend the soil, and garden away.
Solarization definitely kills the lawn grasses and any nasty weeds you were contending with.
There is very little physical work with this method.
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Smother the Lawn
This is another very easy way to start a new bed.
It involves denying the grass air until it dies naturally.
Like most easy methods, though, it requires a fair amount of timeas much as six months.
This is best done in the late summer or fall so the grass can die over the winter.
The following spring, you could amend the soil and begin planting.
Very little work required.
Does a good job of killing the grass.
As the grass is being smothered, the methodcan look shabby and unattractivein the landscape.
A good solution is to cover your smothering material with fall leaves or bark mulch.
you’re free to pull the mulch back when you’re ready to plant.
After outlining the garden area, first, apply a thick layer of cardboard or newspaper over the grass.
This will constitute the smothering layer that serves to kill the turf.
Over this, apply several layers of organic materials over the cardboard.
Commonorganic materialsyou can use include:
This is a very easy method.
The resulting garden soil will be a perfect garden growing medium, fluffy and full of organic matter.
This method requires patience.
If food scraps are used, they may attract insect and animal pests.
Organic materials decomposing in the open are sometimes smelly.
Then you’ve got the option to garden away.
This is an easy, quick method that allows you to garden immediately.
There is an additional cost associated with buying the materials, as well as the garden soil and amendments.
The dead grass will naturally decompose and add nutrients to the soil.
Glyphosate herbicide is a very quick and thorough way to kill grass.
All herbicides are controversial, and their use is strongly criticized by organic gardeners.
Vanno, Sandy.Lasagna Gardening.Cornell Cooperative Extension, 2021.
Weed Management in Lawns.University of California Integrated Pest Management Program, 2016.
Duke, Stephen O.Glyphosate: Environmental Fate and Impact.Weed Science, vol.
3, 2020, pp.
781, 2019, pp.
