It doesn't take that long. Tilling the soil will bring up ungerminated weed and grass seeds. Go ahead and dig your holes. And start the lasagna beds as soon as possible. And go read about Ruth Stout's method.

I wouldn't till it - too much time and trouble. Start building it now and by spring time the grass won't have light and will become a "green manure." You can plant in a lasagna bed that isnÂt fully decomposed. Just put a little garden/top soil around your plants when you put them in the bed.

Put some cardboard down one weekend. The next time youÂre at Starbucks and ask them for used coffee grounds, then sprinkle them over the bed (it helps to take a heavy duty bag if they have a lot). Sometime during the spring, rake up the leaves that over wintered in your neighborhood and place them on the bed. I just grabbed two Christmas trees from the curb on trash day. This weekend, IÂll use hand trimmers to break them up, then toss onto my bed. If I donÂt get to them this weekend, theyÂre standing up-right and look quite nice as part of the landscape. Lasagna composting is great for people who can't regularly maintain a compost pile or don't have the space.

Here's an old post on donn's instant beds. The method has a lot of followers. I encourage you to try it, but my experience is that it doesn't work if you have Bermuda grass.

Here is a link that might be useful: Donn's instant beds

I pull up the grass, mine comes up pretty easily, and I do till it while I mix sand into it. The soil around here has way too much clay in it and the sand helps break all that up. Then I put several inches of mushroom compost on top of that. The mushroom compost acts as mulch, keeping any weeds from germinating, while at the same time, adding much needed nutrients to the soil.

Hi Neil,
I was just thinking of you this morning.

I would not till up the soil if i were you,you will pull up more weed seed than you want to deal with.

I know you are working with a large area,can you get some card board,from an appliance store maybe,the bigger, the better,lay that down,last winter i got bushel's of coffee grounds from Starbucks,being that i live in a small town, we do not have a starbucks,but the big town over does,i asked them if they would save for me all week,and i would pick them up on a Monday,they were happy to do this,during the summer,there are a lot of people who ask for their used coffee grounds-(UCG)so they will not save that much for one person, not many ask during the winter.I was always there to pick them up,so they new they could depend on me.There will be coffee filters mixed in,all the better,just throw them on top of the cardboard,(newspaper workes also).( My trunck would be full-they are heavy also )
Can you get some mulch from the ground up Christmas Trees?
Throw that down also.
I would not use any table scrapes,they may call for varmets,your neighbors will not be happy.(I do use them, but i live in the woods) :0)
Any soil from used containes from last year?throw it down.
Do you have access to a recycle yard waste in your neighbor hood?If so, you can get all you need FREE,if you are out of area,for a small charge.
Start now, you can also use cereal,cracker,any box,cut it open,and lay it down.Get on "Craigs List" post that you want leaves,you will be amazed how many people will give you their leaves,if not now, in a month or two.
There are lots of things you can do right now.
Good luck to you.

I posted a picture of Hosta"Frosted Jade'under July Pictures,or was it,photo bucket virus?Check them both,lol
Carol

I second token's comment on Ruth Stout's method. DH is a devout follower and is converting me;o)

Blessings,
Dea

Oh yea,
I forgot Neil, i have also used the pink underlay paper you can buy at Menards,it is not the roofing kind, this you would use under hard wood flooring,safe for gardens.About $6.00-$8.00,if you can't find what you want in a hurry, i had left over from our flooring, so i used it up.
Turn your grass upside down when you take it out also.
Carol

I started a lasagna garden in winter 2007. As soon as the ground showed signs of thawing, maybe late Feb, I just covered the lawn with cardboard to block light, weighed it down with bricks, and forgot about it. It was too cold to be outside. When the weather started warming, I threw on what I could- leaves, whatever compost I had on hand, grass clippings which I coerced my friends to save, any organic matter I could get. My wintersown seedlings were planted in May
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August
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Karen

You are right seedmama. Bermuda would just enjoy the cultivation and would come back stronger.

Sorry folks, it's just now that I was able to login. Been very busy with work.

Awesome suggestions! :)

I have and will continue to use all the various methods suggested. When I make a large bed I like to remove the sod, add peat moss and compost and dig it in the existing soil. I do all this by hand as I like to do it and need the exercise. Besides, I have more time and energy than money. Machines, tillers, etc. would make a faster and easier bed.

When I plant I add leave mulch to the beds. Rarely have weeds and mulch keeps soil temps more even and soil moist.

Decided to extend this bed. Killed off some quack grass invading the lawn and started removing sod. This is just before adding ws plants from holding beds or those that had been potted. Some were taken from established beds. At least 2/3 of the plants were ws in '06, '07 or '08

Fall 2007

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Everything transplanted the next day, Fall 2007

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July 23, 2008 2 months after hail storm

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mswsgal,
You sure did a lot in just a few days,i really like the way you have designed your bed,i am not one for straight lines,your bed is very flowing,i like that.I also like all the different plantings you have,this is what i want to do,Vera,has done that also,so pretty.
I have a lot to learn,i sure like seeing every ones garden,as it gives me ideas.
Carol

LOL, the digging up sod and mixing in compost and peat took months. Since I was a kid I told people, "I'm slow but I'm good." Had my neighbors asking, "What Are you doing?" Planting went quickly as I had a plan I drew up and had most of the plants in pots or ready to dig from holding beds.

I've learned a lot from friends and from comments and photos here on GW. My first beds, years ago were long rectangles. As a former math teacher I have to fight my inclination to make everything very rigid and geometric.

Mnwsgal, I love the pictures of your new bed! Very cool to see the progression. My oldest bed (5 years) is along the front edge of the driveway, the exact location as yours. Originally I had a strip of grass along the driveway too - well, got rid of that, it was way too hard to keep that strip mowed, watered etc. Just incorporated it into the bed.

V1, I have lots of lasagne going, but like to let them sit for 6 mos - 1 year (usually because I'm also smothering vigorous weeds like Vinca, Buckthorn, Oriental bittersweet). For your Spring beds, lasagne may be worth a try. You could lay cardboard and organic matter over the whole bed area, and then selectively dig and prepare holes within the bed where you plant the perennials.

I've used Donn's instant bed method and it works well IF you are talking about sod only. I've usually got way too many weedy shrubs, Vinca, etc. and lots of tree roots to deal with, so in that case I have to use the "break your back" method - dig out the shrubs, roots, etc. by hand.

This whole section on the right was done 'instant bed' style just cutting small squares, and flipping them over. I worked on this late-April 2007 and just tossed whatever I had in other beds into it for fillers. I top-dressed it with a layer of compost (have a heap going in the back yard), and away I went:
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The back part of this same area/bed was done lasagna style, and was started in November of 2005 and was planted in by spring of 2006. Area around the flagpole was simply top-dressed with compost and planted into: {{gwi:347121}}

Awesome!

What is the purpose of cardboards?

Thanks!

Neil,
No need to till,cardboard will kill the grass.Makes it real easy for planting out,plus, it is an excellent mulch,fertilizer,when it breakes down.
Carol

If I had to dig up our thick lawn for a bed the size of mnwsgal's it would take me a lifetime in this clay soil. For those folks like me lasagna is sure a lot easier and faster. And free. I'll never dig a bed.

My garden exercise comes from flipping compost.

Karen

I hate to flip compost and rarely do. Using a metal rod I poke holes in the pile and move the rod back and forth, kinda stirring, to add air to the lower layers. I have three piles, each at different stages. At the end of each season at least one pile is ready to be used. Sod seperated by cardboard composts very quickly in my piles and makes wonderful compost.

I used Don's instant beds method to make some holding beds. The first one I didn't add the mulch right away and had problems with grass popping up here and there. The mulch took care of that problem.

I am blessed with good soil. Have to work with clay in one of the gardens where I do volunteer work and appreciate how difficult gardening can be in clay beds.

Yes, clay has it's challenges, but good qualities too like moisture and nutrient retention. Most of my flower beds are pretty soft and much easier to dig than the lawn. And the turf is so thick that a good part of the work comes in actually getting through the grass.

I do like playing in my compost. I have 2 bins and harvest several batches per year. Flipping really helps it break down a lot faster.

Karen

I wish I could do my bed lasagna style, right over the grass, or even just turn the grass. The area I'm gardening in is surrounding my concrete patio. My garden has to stay pretty much the same height as it is now, or it will spill over on to the patio. I plan on digging out the grass and filling in the area with a good layer of sand to break up all the clay (I hate that stuff!) and then mushroom compost. Time consuming, but worth it... I hope anyway!