NEVER EVEN THINK ABOUT TILLING UNDER !

You have to pick every shred of roots that you can find in the soil.
If I were you, here is how I would do it:

1- till it very very shallow first, to get most of the roots loosened.The reason you do it shallow is because you don't want to bury and hide the roots.
2 - with rake and hand pick any piece of root()big and small)that you can find.
3- till second time, normal depth.
4- Again, pick any piec of root you can find. This time you will have less roots. The

Those grasses have tough roots, like cats with seven lives.

After doing all that go ahead and all the compost and topsoile, manure.. you want and till one more time.

Even with being so deligient, you may find some grass growing in your garden later, which you have to eraticate them soon as you see them.

John

I had to deal with the same problem. When I moved here it was only a lawn. Here are my 2 cents about how to do it.

You can either use a weed whacker very low and put a thick layer of mulch on top, let it sit for some time till it decomposes, you still going to have to pull grass once in a while, but not too much. This is the easy way.

The best way, fast and also hard work is to use a special flat shovel to cut the grass like if you are cutting a pie and then pull from under like if it was a carpet, while the other person keeps pulling the grass. You do need 2 people to make it easier. Then you can put anything you want on top.

I hope this helps a little.

My garden before

{{gwi:26078}}

Raised beds

{{gwi:26080}}

Silvia

Cyrus and Silvia thanks for the quick responses.

I know they make a special machine that looks like a miniature Zamboni machine that cuts about 4 inches under the sod and takes it off in rows. Silvia that might be a solution to not having to do it by hand since I'm doing this solo.

Cyrus I'm leaning toward your methods first to grind up and get the old sod and soil into the compost pile and then follow up with Silvia's plan of heavy mulching before amending the soil in a few weeks in preparation for transplants and seeds.

Cheers.

John

If you are going to build raised beds, the old cardboard at the bottom trick will also do. As Silvia's pictures show, smaller grasses do not send rhizomes into the bed, if the bed sides are deep enough. If you are going to clear a patch, without barriers, you will have to fight encroaching grass time and again. I know because there are a few spots where my beds sides are only at ground level, and that opening is enough. I consider grass the worst garden weed there is.

I don't know what kind of grass St.Augustin is. If it is bermuda, zosia type, then you have to get rid of it. Do not put it in your compost either. But if it is rye type of grass, it is not a big problem and perhaps Silvia's method is more efficient and you can put the shavings in compost pile.

Depending on the soil underneath the grass, you might opt to raised beds. If the soil is not clay,and has good drainage, you will need very little addition of top soil and/or amendments. But if it is clay, you will need a lot more. In this case raised beds (or terraced if land is sloaped) is a better option.

Glib

I forgot to mention that in the raised beds after I weed whacked the grass, I put a layer of newspaper, cardboard, hay, composted manure, making a lasagna garden.

On the sides of the garden where I planted the bananas I had no option but to take out the grass completely with the other method, because I was not making raised beds.

Cyrus

St. Augustin is like bermuda. I had in Arizona bermuda and here I have St Agustin. Little by little I am making more garden beds and taking out grass.

John

Here in Florida we have sandy soil, easy to dig but has nematodes, another reason to build a raised bed.:o)

Good luck with your new project.

Silvia

This is what I use to take out the grass.

Silvia

Here is a link that might be useful: tool

Silvia, that is a good professional edging tool, used to edge the grass around the shrubs, trees and beds.
Because of its curved edge it can penetrate, cut and scrape off with less force. Narrow flat shovel should work too.

Cyrus, I saw some landscapers using that tool and I copied them, it works even for me to work on, and I am not strong as a man is. lol

Silvia