# Starting a new garden



## Shammua (Jan 27, 2012)

I know the whole speel about it being later in the season for a new garden and all, but that's ok we started a bunch of stuff inside first.

What this is asking about is where we are putting the garden currently has really nice growth of grass on it. I'm thinking we need to basically scrap off the grass and move it to a different spot in the yard.

Is this what you would do, or would you just till it all up into the soil and go from there?

I'm thinking that move it would be the answer since it will be bare soil and not have to worry as much about the grass trying to grow back in again...

Thanks for the input and help.


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## cazetofamo (Mar 18, 2012)

If you can, build garden boxes, lay them over strips of tar paper, and fill the boxes with dirt and fertilizer. use tar paper instead of any stuff that's supposed to keep the weds from growing up, that stuff will only last a year or so. my grandparents have had boxes like that for the past ten years and weeds never grew through.


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## Shammua (Jan 27, 2012)

I don't have the extra funds for garden boxes. I wish I did, I love the idea, maybe next year, but this year we are doing the old fashioned way and sticking everything right into the ground....


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## cazetofamo (Mar 18, 2012)

If you have any old lumber around, or can get some, we made a whole barn out of reused materials, it may be quite possible to build garden boxes, just have to call around


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

If it were me, and it was at one time, I'd leave the grass in place, till the spot thoroughly. Rake up all the clumps of grass and shake the dirt off the roots and pitch it into a compost pile.

If you leave the grass in the plot, you're going to have it regrowing and have to spend the time weeding in the future. When the compost "cooks" down you can spread it on the garden.

If you "scrape" the "sod" off then till, you are going to be removing some of the most fertile inches of soil from your garden plot. That could mean the difference between marginal return and good crop.


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## Roslyn (Feb 20, 2012)

Are you renting a sod lifter, or pulling it up by hand. I took sod up by hand for a garden bed 5X15. Once. It is a mondo-super-duper-mega sucky job to try to peel sod by hand.

I agree with Davarm to till the grass and rake the clumps up and then deep till. You will need to allow the area to break down for about a week after tilling. For composting the grass clumps be sure to layer them with newspaper so that they don't regrow in the compost.

Raised beds are great, however the cubic yards of soil needed to fill them isn't cost friendly.

If you want to transplant some of the grass to another area, do that before tilling. Just take a shovel size "plug" of nice grass and plant it in an area you want to grow and keep it well watered. Then till the site.


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## 8thDayStranger (Jan 30, 2013)

We just ran a plow through ours and cut it up pretty deep. Then we disked it all up three or for times spread out over a month. Then I tilled it up two or three times. If I don't stay on it the grass does start to come back. If it does, I just till down the rows and hoe around the plants. I enjoy having something to do in the garden besides wait on plants to grow so it works for me. If you don't want to fool with it as much or don't have time to put in the work, get a sod cutter and cut it up. Compost the strips or use them to fill in any bare spots you might have in the yard.


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