i was gonna ask the same question,my ground is not too rocky.im in new york and the ground is workable but wet and i only have a small plot of land so i just get to work with a shovel.if you have lots of land then tractor or machines would work.i also think you need to kill the grass first or remove it.

I would suggest that you take a look at the Composting forum on this site. They have quite a few discussions on lasagna gardening where you don't need to till. I used this method for my garden and I was really pleased with the way my garden beds turned out. I am an older women and I couldn't ever dig up our rocky soil. The beds are full of earthworms and a delight to work in.
Donna

Don't do it!!!!

Really. These forums are rife with posts bemoaning the consequences of tilling grass. Turning it doesn't kill it. I think maybe it makes the grass stronger. I strongly suggest that you first kill the grass...then till it. Or not. I personally prefer no-till, but I was once a tiller and feel it is a personal preference.

But really, kill it first to avoid regrets later.

Kay.

Hi moonlight74,

I use four tools: A fork, a spade a rake and a hoe.
In the spring as soon as the ground is thawed and not muddy you can begin to dig. If the turf is dense you should cut out squares with the spade then shake most of the dirt off with the fork and toss the grass into your compost. Once the top layer of turf is removed turn over the earth with the fork removing rocks as you go. Break up any remaining large clumps with the hoe and rake smooth with the rake.

This method is pretty labor intensive but it has worked well for me.

Jon

If you are going to use raised beds I would not till or git rid of the grass. If you make the bed at least 12 inches deep you can go right over the top of it. Here is what I did;

Got rid of trees and stumps:
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Frame in garden with 2 x,12's;
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Left the rocks and grass alone;
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Added 11 yards of topsoil and presto chango, a garden!
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And a fall look;
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I'll second midnight gardener. If you are planning on doing raised beds, rototilling the grass well, then placing the raised beds on top will work. I started with lawn and have had no problem with the grass coming back.

Before:
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After (well, during):
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I mulched the paths later with cardboard and woodchips.

Bellatrix

Oh you guys are fantastic!!! Thank you so much, the pictures were very helpful!!

Bella trix, very nice garden.

Thanks, Rootdoctor! I expanded the garden more last year, once I took down the above ground pool/deck. It is now more than double the size it was. My friends call it a little farm :).

Bellatrix

bella,can a raised bed be that low,the wood im going to buy is like triple the hight of yours.

Yes, you can do low raised beds. My main goal in using raised beds is to never step or lean on the soil and to add compost to my half-way-decent clayish soil. Even short raised beds allow the soil to drain better and warm up more quickly in the spring.

However, if you can do higher raised beds, it is even better. If you look at my pictures, you can see that my corner supports are high enough that I could add another board and make the the beds higher. Unfortunately, I don't have the money to do it :). I used redwood and cedar for my boards and it was expensive! Someday, I'd like to add on, but the beds work really well as they are.

Bellatrix

The absolutely best stuff I have found to block weeds before putting a raised bed is newspaper. It is good for the soil ( adds carbon), itÂs biodegradable, it allows water to pass through it into the soil without washing your mulch away, and it is easily torn and trimmed.
I usually use 8-10 layers, spray it with water to get the layers stick together well, and then cover everything with bark mulch.

This stops the seeds that are in your soil from germinating. The newspaper will decompose over time. It will not prevent weeds from sprouting on top of the mulch, but it blocks the roots of the weeds well enough that it is easy to pull them up.
And then, put your raised bed on top of it.
Well, good luck using up all of your newspaper in the garden.
Want to know more? Go to www.yourorganicgardeningblog.com

I'd say mow the grass really short then use the newspapers or cardboard as a smother layer then add lasagna layers or whatever you're filling the beds with over the top.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tales of a Transplanted Gardener

All these things work great unless it's a really strong Bermuda lawn then all bets are off. I swear that stuff will take over the south soon.

I have about 500sq feet of raised beds over grass with some bermuda. Yikes. The only thing that would kill that stuff is roundup and than a layer of cardboard. Finished with a layer of dirt and works great.

I second the folks who say that you don't need to do ANYTHING to the grass.

If you are going to make the bed 12 inches tall as midnightgardener said, you can just lay your topsoil/compost over the top and be done. The only addition I would suggest is that if you cut the grass as short as possible first, and lay a layer of newspaper (at least 3 sheets thick) over the area before you backfill the beds. The newspaper will guarantee that the grass won't come up through your bed, regardless of any lawn weeds you may be dealing with. You will have a garden in less time and effort and no worry about the grass coming back in much less time than tilling the soil. Tilling doesn't kill the seeds. So, you will still have to concern yourself with some weeds/grass coming back.

I second eaglesgarden. Made my first raised beds last year (12" high), went right on top of grass, and filled with good soil mix. No problems at all. You might check out the square foot forum for more info about raised beds.

Prof

Hi Y'all,
What beautiful pics of some beautiful gardens! Makes me want to get out of my office and go play in the dirt. . .

Just my two cents: I have had wonderful results with newspapers, 6-8 thick, smothering grass to start a new garden bed. I usually do a lasagna bed, or a bit modified if the weeds are huge.

I'm still clearing areas on land that was abandoned for many years. Two of my beds have been double-dug/amended after getting rid of the weeds; a couple were straight lasagna-method (newspaper/leaves/grass clippings/shredded paper/composted manure); two were top-dug, weeds turned over, and then lasagna ingredients piled on. I really like the no-dig beds - saves my aching back - and also use newspaper, covered with bark mulch or wood chips from a local carver, to make paths in between the beds. The completed beds are in-ground, but a bit higher than the paths.

I went through the process that hatchjon did to till the soil. It's a lot of work, but I wanted to integrate the clay (very clayey, almost cement-like consistency when wet enough) with compost and other soil amendments to make a super soil for my garden. In the right proportion clay can make a soil superior for holding moisture (which is important with all the arid, dry, droughty summers my area keeps experiencing). The sod the builder used for my property also has plastic netting in it, which I am continuously pulling up and throwing away. I really don't like that netting stuff embedded in my ground.

I have slowly expanded the garden each year since starting one in 2006. I have dug and removed a little more sod\netting each year as well as added compost, vermiculite and peat moss.

2006
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2007
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From 080307

2008
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I think it all depend on how big a garden we're talking about. For a fairly small garden, it's probably easier to put in a raised bed. My garden is 60' x 80'. I don't think I would attempt a raised bed for that size. I find it easier to amend the existing soil with manure, etc. than hauling in top soil. My tiller does a good job at breaking up the soil, but I definitely need to amend the soil once it's broke. I'm adding about 2" of horse manure per year and am guessing that I'll continue this for this next 5 or so years.