Your first answer was perfect.. My aim is to have minimal grass regrowth in the new garden bed

Agree, don't think you'll see much grass besides a few occasional seedlings. I don't do anything beyond removing the layer of grass, in chunks, when I dig it up. I shake off however much dirt I'm in the mood to, then start planting. I don't have any problems with grass regrowth.

Putting a border of bricks, landscape timbers, pavers, around the area will help keep the grass from creeping back in. When mowing around it, aim the chute away from the bed if the grass has seed things on it.

The chunks of dug-up grass shrivel & die a lot more easily with as little as possible dirt stuck to the roots. After it has shriveled completely, it's safe to toss the dead chunks back into a bed. On a tarp or piece of cardboard is a good place to do that. Nothing against the compost suggestion above, which I did a lot also in the past, but that much dirt makes it unnecessarily heavy, for my personal preference at this point.

You are right, of course, Tiffany. I assumed that most of the dirt was shaken off, but I should have said it outright.

Thanks heaps for all your suggestions. I've nearly finished it, I'll put up a pic tomorrow once it's complete.

I've got a bathtub I use for lettuce and a raised bed that someone gave me last spring but this is the first garden bed that I've dug myself

At 34 I'm a little late getting into vegetable gardening but I seriously can't believe how much I love it

As others have said it does depend on the type of grass you have. But with some you can just turn the grass under and leave it in the bed. Providing it is buried deep enough and has no light it will die and add organic matter to the soil. 1.5 feet would be plenty deep enough. The same applies to unflowered annual weeds. 2 x .5 is a tiny bed and I'm pretty sure you'll be extending it soon ;-)

To repeat what others have already said it depends on the type of grass. Most of the turf grasses today are pretty wimpy and will die when turned into the soil. Grasses also root in the "topsoil" so removing the turf, with some soil still clinging to the roots, removes a good portion of that "topsoil" that many people will tell you to go out and buy. That grass will also add needed organic material to the soil as well as many nutrients. Unless you have an invasive grass species (such as Quack Grass, aka many other names some not postable) just work grass into the soil.

kiimmq is kimmsr

That's why I keep the material & put it back in beds, not willing to part with the organic matter or top soil, but the grasses that are here can't be left anywhere near where they can grow, bahiagrass, St. Augustine, Burmuda, wiregrass (whatever that is,) and others, the worst creeping vine-grasses ever! They must be totally dead/shriveled before putting back in beds.