Have you heard of lasagna beds, sheet composting, interbay mulch? They're all similar methods which work well. If you search the forums, especially the soil forum, you will find many threads.

Soak the cardboard well. I'd add the compost now, as well as any other organic matter- lawn clippings, fall leaves, coffee grounds, yard waste, etc. It would start to break down for spring planting. The compost isn't doing anything for you sitting in your compost bin or pile. Spread it and let it start doing it's thing.

No need to remove cardboard ever- it forms another layer of mulch. Just plant in the material over it. Seedlings will be tiny when you plant out.

Karen

Year before I extended a bed in September by laying newspaper, cardboard and piling up with a mix of soil,leaves and straw. In spring the carboard and some newspaper was still there, but the quack grass that was covered up never came back up :)

Vera

The main purpose of the cardboard is to immediately shut out light to the grass. Mulch will help to do that, as well as helping to hold the cardboard down.

I would put the compost on the grass, cover with the cardboard, and then as much mulch as you can find. If you don't have mulch, the cardboard alone should do it. When the grass starts to die due to lack of light, the bugs, worms and microherd will start breaking it down and drag it underground.

If you peek underneath in a month or two and see mold or fungus, don't worry, as that's just part of the process.

If you live in a windy area, check your cardboard every so often. The areas under the rocks or bricks will decompose first, so you may need to shift the rocks occasionally, and maybe stick some smaller pieces of cardboard under the holes.

You won't believe how well this works!

Sue