Hello,

I have a few raised planter beds in my garden and the St. Augustine is
growing through 12 inches of soil and messing up everything.

I garden without chemicals and have given up this season....(so sick of
pulling at those long roots).

I need more room so I want to choke out all the grass, take out the
planter beds, amend the soil, and have the whole side of the house be a
veggie garden.

So...when/how should I start? I don't know how to kill off the grass,
or when should I should start messing with soil testing and adding
stuff.

Any help would be great!

Etta

On 19 Jul 2005 10:07:06 -0700, wrote:

So...when/how should I start? I don't know how to kill off the grass,
or when should I should start messing with soil testing and adding
stuff.

Any help would be great!

If it were me, I would cover the area I wanted to convert to garden
with thick, clear plastic. Now. The heat will kill the grass and most
weeds. It will even kill most weed seeds (except maybe nut grass).
Leave it about a month.

Then roll up the plastic and work in lots of organic stuff, manure,
compost, etc. A layer of about 2 to 4 inches of manure and compost
would not be too much. Till the organic material in to a depth of
about 8 inches. Cover the whole area with a thick layer of mulch. I
like hay as mulch, but any good mulch would do.


Elliot Richmond, Ph.D.
Freelance Science Writer and Editor

"Elliot Richmond" wrote in message
...
On 19 Jul 2005 10:07:06 -0700, wrote:

So...when/how should I start? I don't know how to kill off the grass,
or when should I should start messing with soil testing and adding
stuff.

Any help would be great!

If it were me, I would cover the area I wanted to convert to garden
with thick, clear plastic. Now. The heat will kill the grass and most
weeds. It will even kill most weed seeds (except maybe nut grass).
Leave it about a month.

Then roll up the plastic and work in lots of organic stuff, manure,
compost, etc. A layer of about 2 to 4 inches of manure and compost
would not be too much. Till the organic material in to a depth of
about 8 inches. Cover the whole area with a thick layer of mulch. I
like hay as mulch, but any good mulch would do.


Elliot Richmond, Ph.D.
Freelance Science Writer and Editor

You guys are sure going to be mad when you get as old as I am and only then
discover www.squarefootgardening.com


--
Make it just one gnat to email.

J.C.

On Tue, 19 Jul 2005 21:24:24 GMT, "J.C."
wrote:

You guys are sure going to be mad when you get as old as I am and only then
discover www.squarefootgardening.com

Well, how old are you? (I want to give myself plenty of time to get
mad.)

The poster asked how to kill grass safely and organically, then how
to prepare the soil. So that's what I answered.


Elliot Richmond, Ph.D.
Freelance Science Writer and Editor

Thanks Elliot,

Where would I get 2-4 inches of Manure & Compost & Hay. I have my own
compost for the kitchen scraps...but not that much. I live in
Buda...maybe a feed store for Hay....but manure and compost?

Thanks Elliot,

Where would I get 2-4 inches of Manure & Compost & Hay. I have my own
compost for the kitchen scraps...but not that much. I live in
Buda...maybe a feed store for Hay....but manure and compost?

In article om,
wrote:

Thanks Elliot,

Where would I get 2-4 inches of Manure & Compost & Hay. I have my own
compost for the kitchen scraps...but not that much. I live in
Buda...maybe a feed store for Hay....but manure and compost?


Come to my house in San Marcos. ;-)

You can have all the composted (emu and poultry) manure you can
shovel...... for free! In fact, the henhouse could use shoveling and
that is going to be fantastic composted manure/shavings mix. Come and
get it. Bring bags.

A couple of bales of hay would make fine mulch and would compost down
also.

Pick up the free bags of raked leaves you see all over the place every
fall. Fantastic compost!
--
K.

Sprout the MungBean to reply

"I don't like to commit myself about heaven and hell‹you
see, I have friends in both places." --Mark Twain

On 21 Jul 2005 09:08:52 -0700, wrote:

Thanks Elliot,

Where would I get 2-4 inches of Manure & Compost & Hay. I have my own
compost for the kitchen scraps...but not that much. I live in
Buda...maybe a feed store for Hay....but manure and compost?

We get hay at a feed store in Dripping Springs. I cannot remember the
name. Manure and compost can be purchased at some place like Home
Depot -- probably around $1 for a 40 pound bag.

Hope this helps.


Elliot Richmond, Ph.D.
Freelance Science Writer and Editor

I set up raised beds a couple of years ago and used weedblock fabric, then
edged with bricks and filled with my "mixture". The weedblock killed the
grass and my beds have done well for three seasons now.

Good luck!

On 21 Jul 2005 09:09:34 -0700, wrote:

Thanks Elliot,

Where would I get 2-4 inches of Manure & Compost & Hay. I have my own
compost for the kitchen scraps...but not that much. I live in
Buda...maybe a feed store for Hay....but manure and compost?
You're not really that far from the Natural Gardener in Oak Hill.
THey sell nice manure compost for about 35 bux a yard, or you can bag
it up yourself and buy smaller quantities. I imagine they deliver,
too, but I've never asked.

k