"Rhona Emmott" wrote in message
...
Hello all, I've been lurking for a while, but this is my first post. I'm
a
keen gardener, and recently moved into a house with a pretty big (and
pretty
boring) garden - big lawn with strip of shrubs round the edge.

I've been reducing the lawn by half, to create much larger borders. I
hired
a turf topper for a day, and I'm half way through stacking the strips into
a
pile. It is huge (about 4ft high x 4ft wide x 8ft long, and growing!) and
I'm in danger of developing muscles like Fatima Whitbred. I was hoping
that
if I cover it with black plastic that by next spring I will have lovely
soil
to put back on the borders. Am I dreaming? Will it take much longer than
that? Is there anything I can do to help it on its way? Will it be too
dry
(its pretty dry now, and the plastic isn't going to let the rain in)?

Your advise please!
Rhona

I stacked turf between March and August 2002. I was able to spread good loam
over my new beds in May this year, with just occasional bits of fibrous
roots which were easily removed by raking.