Damn. Dave, you always give it to me straight... I appreciate that!

Dave is absolutely right. There are several techniques for stripping sod, but renting a machine is, by far, the easiest.

If these are small areas, sod removal can be done with a sharpened flat edge shovel and a strong back. It's a technique.....I'll bet that there are youtube tutorials about it. It's not that hard.

I actually used a flat bottom shovel to remove the sod and then tilled the soil after dumping some humus/manure and compost on it. If your garden is large, a sod stripper would be better. I have also just tilled the sod under, deeply, but you do develop problems with grass that has to be pulled.

Not to paint myself as a lazy man... that ain't me... but hand stripping 500 sf of sod sounds like a nightmare to me. I think a trip to the rental store is in order! I didn't know a machine (short of a backhoe) for that purpose existed, frankly. Does it make it a one man operation?

Agree that a gas powered sod cutter makes very short work of removing a lawn. It will cut strips of lawn that you just roll up and take away. If you do a youtube search I'm sure you'll find plenty of videos.

Rodney

Yeah they come in various sizes but are 1 man operations, most average about the size and maneuverability of the a big Troy-bilt tiller. Google Images has lots of pics of various models of sod cutters if you want to see them and lo and behold - a You Tube video. :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVn4Izwg7Lc

Dave

Can't you just put cardboard & a thick layer of compost down over the sod? That's how I eliminated the front lawn. I've removed sod in the past, but I found this method much easier.

I have created many garden beds over many years in many different yards, and I have never stripped sod. I just cover with cardboard, leaves, hay, whatever in the fall and plant in the spring--my version of lasagna gardening. Much less work and the organic material of the sod adds to soil structure.

Guess i should also clarify that i'm planting corn and potatoes this season, so time is not available for killing the grass before tilling. It'll have to be stripped of sod and tilled with the 1000 lb. load of compost my dad just dumped for me so i can plant in the next couple of weeks.

We are talking about building an in-ground garden, not a raised bed. Big differences just as the names imply.

Dave

My dad owned a sod farm back in the 70s. One person can do it easily.

So far nobody has mentioned what to do with the sod once stripped. Don't throw it out. Stack it up and it will make terrific compost/soil.

floral is right, just make sure it's upside down (roots on top).

Have to agree with Laceyvail; removing sod seems like such a waste. Ask 100 farmers and 99 will tell you to spray with Gramoxone and no-til plant your crop into sod within a week. The other one will tell you to just plow the sod under as John Deere became famous for in the 1800's with the invention of the moldboard plow.

There you go CG - hitch up them horses (or tractor) and plow that field. I wonder if you can still rent horses and moldboard plows? ;-) Better yet, just soak it all with a non-selective, broad band herbicide and then try to plant your corn and potatoes. NOT!!!

Dave

The raised bed on the left was put in in 2011 (I believe). The rest of the area (minus the new little plastic raised bed in the middle) was my front lawn, which I covered in cardboard and 5" of compost January 2014. May 2014, I cut 4" holes in the cardboard, removed the grass under where I'd cut,

planted corn in the holes, and recovered with the compost. The corn did great! Granted I only planted 12 plants, but an in-ground garden is possible over existing sod.

My property is bounded on 2 sides with horse farms, both of which have token plow horses and some antique agricultural equipment... so the idea isn't as far-fetched as some I've heard! However, the sod is far more likely to be covered with broad-spectrum pale ale than herbicide... not that I encourage anyone to drink and till... but a man's gotta stay hydrated, right? Thanks all for the input. It is, as always, much appreciated!