GSHATTERHAND wrote:
I need help with a very basic project. Our new cedar fence was finally finished
Saturday, nine weeks after we ordered it and 4 weeks past passed the promised
completion date. This has created a perfect spot for a flower bed along the
fence.

But how do I turn the strip along the fence, which is now grass, into the
nicely cultivated soil of a flower bed?

I have to use basic garden tools, no power tools. Can I just turn the soil over
with a shovel, burying the grass, and then break up the soil? Will the grass
die under the soil or grow back? (The grass that was under the piles of soil
from the fence post holes sure seems dead after only a week.)

You can just turn the soil over; but unless you're planning to cover it
pretty deep with new soil, you're better off removing the grass. When
you break up the soil, it will then be full of broken-up grass roots
unless you've removed the grass first.

Or must I somehow kill or remove the grass first, before turning the soil?
Removing the grass without also taking a lot of top soil seems almost
impossible. Any advice on this would be appreciated.

Killing it is a waste of time since you'll need to remove it whether
alive or dead. Strip off the top 2 inches or so of sod using your
shovel, or a spade or hatchet. If there are other spots where you
need more lawn, just transplant the sod there (make sure to get a
decent amount of soil underneath the grass in this case). Otherwise,
just throw the sod in the compost.

If the idea of losing even a bit of topsoil bothers you, take each
clump of sod, flip it upside down, and beat it with the edge of
your spade until all the soil is released and only bare grass
roots remain; then toss the roots into the compost.

Be advised: removing the sod is long and tiring work, much harder
than just turning the soil over.

If you want to do it the easy way and you prefer raised beds
anyway: completely cover the new bed (grass and all) with
sheets of newspaper, overlapped, several sheets thick. Wet
the newspaper thoroughly and then dump several inches of new
topsoil and compost right on top. The grass will die and
won't be able to push up through the newspapers. If you
pile the new dirt high enough, the newspapers will have
rotted away by the time your flowers' roots try to grow
that far down. If the new soil layer is thinner (only 2-3
inches), you'll have to cut through the newspaper and
grass anywhere you make a planting hole.

- Alex