Do I have to kill the lawn before putting a raised garden bed on top?
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a la "square foot gardening," so that we can record what we planted where
Question by Yori: Do I have to kill the lawn before putting a raised garden bed on top?
I plan on creating a 16″ deep raised bed on my lawn. Do I have to somehow kill it so that it does not grow into my garden, or will it die and turn into compost when buried 16″ deep?
I’d rather not put paper/cardboard as I plan on organic garden, and who knows what kind of binders/glues these cardboard have in them….
What do you think? Answer below!
5 Responses to Do I have to kill the lawn before putting a raised garden bed on top?
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Put down a layer of news paper and then put 16 inches of soil on top of the papers. The newspaper will prevent the grass from sending up runners, but still allow excess water to soak into the ground.
ranger_co_1_75
October 10, 2011 at 2:44 pm
Don’t even worry about it. Build your raised bed and the grass underneath it will never be a problem. Lawn grass is exactly like any other photosynthetic plant. It has to have sunlight to grow. If grass does show up in your raised bed it won’t be from below.
Hondu
October 10, 2011 at 3:14 pm
In my garden center magazine it says to measure out the areas and then dig the grass up then turn over on itself. I was looking at doing this myself, and it gave full instructions of how to do a raised garden, and as long as no sunlight gets to it, it will not grow through.
jane
October 10, 2011 at 3:19 pm
The previous answers are all good options. I would like to recommend measuring out the space you want to use, dig up the grass and repurpose it elsewhere so you can take advantage of good sod. Then chances are you will have healthy soil to place your raised bed on top of and you should be good to go.
Justin
October 10, 2011 at 3:55 pm
There is lots for you to do, read, and see on this site because each month we include as much gardening advice, information, and as many growing tips as possible.
John Lucas
October 10, 2011 at 4:12 pm