On Mon, 26 Feb 2007 16:47:38 +0000 (UTC), FragileWarrior
wrote:

I have a large area between our front walkway and the stockade fence that
I'm tired of mowing. Since it is almost entirely in shade, I think I'd
like to turn it into a mint garden this year. I don't care about spreading
because if the mint goes under the fence and into the yard it just makes
the dogs smell nice. I also have no objection to just mowing it like lawn
if it crops up where I don't want it.

What's the best way to make sure that I get garden there and not mint
sprinkled with regrown grass? I was going to rent a tiller and turn up the
sod but then what? Do I remove the sod chunks or do I just chop it, turn
it under and hope it becomes green manure and not more grass? Is it better
to remove all the sod and then replace the missing dirt with top soil? If
some grass sprouts up down the line, will the mature mint plants smother it
out?

All opinions and experiences welcome.

Thx.


Cover it with black plastic till it's dead. This is quick in full sun
but will work eventually in the shade. No-till is the rage these days
but I've been tilling a long time and have had some nice gardens. It
depends allot on how much topsoil you've got and what you want to go
through to add to it. Sometimes tilling is good. If you're growing
something like carrots and have heavy clay covered by an inch of
topsoil tilling will break things up enough for the carrots. If you've
got a foot of topsoil you don't need to till. In any case mint grows
like a weed and the soil makes little difference. A herbicide would
work too.

I would mulch heavily around the mint transplants. Eventually the mint
will take over but some grasses will compete. Another way to do this
would be to cover the grass with cardboard and or layered newspaper,
with grass clippings, shredded leaves, etc. on top. After the grass is
dead plant mint through the mulch.