Elevations can come into this. Is the lawn at, above or below the level of the beds? If at, or above, the grass should come out so that once it is amended, the entire bed is pretty much at the same level. If the lawn is below bed level, then piling stuff on top works.

I think it depends on how much lawn to be removed and how fast you want to use the area. IMO, a sod cutter (available at any rental company) is the easiest and fastest.

This is all on level ground. The bed has a rock edge and is barely elevated at all. I'm going to have to remove the rock edge to get all the grass out from around them. *sigh*

MadGallica - Aha....I completely forgot that when the grass comes out that area is going to be lower. Right. Then a lasagna arrangement would probably work good if I can find enough material to use.

GardenGal - I never would have thought of a sod cutter. Is that going to get all the crab grass out so it won't come back? Along the edge of this area, the crabgrass has infiltrated that rock edge.

Thank you!

I usually just use the flat side of my pick axe. Swing it and hit under the grass, doing a section of a few square feet, then sit and lift it up in clumps and shake as much soil off as I can. It IS a lot of work and hard work at that, so you are probably looking for an easier way!

:)

Dee

P.S. The pick axe also then helps with the myriad rocks I find lurking under the grass. I usually spend more time digging up rocks than clearing the grass!

Ah, yes. The days when I was younger and more spry - I remember them well. Back then, I enlarged many a bed by cutting the sod with a great edging tool into manageable squares and lifting those to shake off all the soil. It was very satisfying! Found many a large rock to pry out and use somewhere as edging, and billions of smaller ones I just tossed into the woods (New England's most prolific crop).

At this time i my life, I can no longer do such labor-intensive work. Unfortunately, my large "garden" area out back has become totally unmanageable and is a horrible unsightly mess. I have plans {!!!} to get a lot of cardboard to cover it all, after the wild growth is slashed level, and hope to kill everything by next year. Must devise a design over the winter, find willing helpers to plant selectively and hope for a bit of success... le sigh.

Art - Chip drop is an idea too. Have you ever done that? I think it must be great for the soil, but I wonder about whether it attracts carpenter ants or termites?

Dee - Yes, I am really looking for an easier way…lol. I don’t even own a pick axe….lol. You must have been exhausted - and I wonder how long it took you?

Roxanna - when we edge our beds we do that with a half moon shape edger. This section is a good 20ft by 6ft area and that’s too much work to do it that way.

Seems like we are in the same boat. I think I am just too distracted with other things going on to actually develop a plan and work it right now. I keep thinking in the Fall, I’ll get a chance or in the Spring I will, but then something else comes up that is more of a priority. I haven’t tried to hire someone yet, but I may do that soon.

prairiemoon2 - I got chipdrop at least ten times in the Seattle area and many of my neighbors here in the Portland area are doing so as well. I'm of a sufficiently ripened vintage that no longer can I muscle my way through projects like this, so I let nature and time do the work. A thick layer of chipdrop will kill most plants growing in lawns, and during that time the soil will be healed, and will come alive, ready to receive your new plants. I don't know about carpenter ants (seems like they show up just about everywhere) and termites at least prefer a log or stump to exploit, not ground up trees. Chipdrop can introduce weedy species to your garden but I think the benefits outweigh the risks. That, and a place to have the load dumped are the biggest issues. It can take a while to spread 10-15 yards of tree-mulch!

I think, best way is smothering: thick cardboard + 4–6 inches of mulch. Don’t till—it just brings weed seeds up.

I used 4 layers of heavy duty landscape paper. I got 50 yrd rolls 3ft wide each. The contractor paper is the same thing near as I can tell. I got rid of ALL the mugwort in one season. I had tried everything and that stuff was impossible. But this worked perfectly and none has come back. I planted the area full of plugs and they did great. The paper breaks down beautifully and is easy to plant on. Hope this helps.

Arbico

https://www.arbico-organics.com/product/weedguardplus-weed-inhibitor/weed-control-chemical-free-home-care?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22560100726&gbraid=0AAAAAD_bwzdWOZCrWAsDvm98FBbh_ig_B&gclid=CjwKCAjwiY_GBhBEEiwAFaghvlyS9d8e3EY8Rov9foUR78kq_XZxxwcoFL4Il4WTspfXHA2NSlGPMBoCiL4QAvD_BwE