(GSHATTERHAND) wrote:

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.)

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.

I use a garden fork and dig up the sod, remove the soil from the roots
and then remove the grass, weeds and their roots. It is similar to
spading the soil, except I dig up the sod with the fork, turn it over,
pound on it with the fork until the dirt falls off, and then throw away
the piece of sod minus all of the soil that was on it. You can compost
the grass and weeds and then use it as a top dressing next year.

The soil that is left is perfect for starting a flower bed. Where I
live, I have to remove tons of rocks from the soil also, I have been
known to mulch a flower bed with the stones I removed. You can plant
annuals easily. I would prepare a bed for perrenials by applying some
peat compost to the soil and working it in first.

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