Question about preparing the ground...

[CatLadyCrystal]

I have a portion of my yard that was used as a garden by the old owners of the house. It's slightly raised, and is surrounded by railroad ties.

I'm wanting to put in a garden this year, if I can get my hands on a tiller. Basically, I am wondering, is it a 'must' to lift out the sod on top (as I've been told), or can you simply mow the grass short, and till it under? Yes, I admit, I am looking for the easy way out.....

Also....any random tips for a newbie would be appreciated.....

Now, back to reading on this forum.....you gals are amazing.

Thanks!

[claytonpiano]

The issue with not removing the grass is that it will take over a first year garden. We started a new one in an old garden space last year. What we did was lay down cardboard boxes on top of the grass and weeks. I planted in the "holes" that I created in the box and placed compost on top. Our county lets us pick up free compost and we have hauled it by the truck loads. The soil is much better this year and where we used the cardboard, there are no weeds to speak of. Where we did not, it is terrible.

Of course, bugs overwinter in the cardboard and can be an issue, but we have ducks and chickens that ran in the garden this summer and they loved finding bugs so we'll see what happens this year!

[Landscape25]

Hi Catlady,

I registered just to fill you in on the possible danger of railroad ties in a veg. garden due to the creosote preservative in them. I think pressure treated wood may also be dangerous. There is info on line if you care to look into it. As far as the grass goes, there is a machine called a sod cutter that you could rent if it is a big area.

[fixer]

I have done it both ways. I have removed the sod then tilled. I have also tilled the sod under. If I wanted to plant immediately, I would remove the sod. I will take a while to break down in the soil. If you tilled the sod in the fall, by spring it should be okay. You can also cover the sod with a tarp. This will kill the sod and make it easier to till and promote it's incorporation into the soil. This approach also takes time.

[Must-Stash]

If the railroad ties are the heavy functional ones, true railroad ties, rather than the decorative ones, I'd not want them anywhere near where food is grown. The creosote will leach into the soil and contaminate your food.

Landscape25 gave excellent advice. The web will explain the dangers.

[NewLeaf]

If you don't have a tiller you can chop it up by hand w/ a heavy duty garden hoe. It is very hard work, but you can chop off the grass layer and take it off then hoe the dirt. Just do it little at a time. If you have the time try killing off the grass first.

[TexasPeanut]

I have done it both ways. I have removed the sod then tilled. I have also tilled the sod under. If I wanted to plant immediately, I would remove the sod. I will take a while to break down in the soil. If you tilled the sod in the fall, by spring it should be okay. You can also cover the sod with a tarp. This will kill the sod and make it easier to till and promote it's incorporation into the soil. This approach also takes time.

This is how we do it. When we've made the beds in plenty of time to get the ground ready for planting we just tilled it under and let it break down. But when we recently wanted to put in a small herb/flower garden and wanted to be able to plant in it immediately after adding compost and manure, we lifted the sod.

Using a tarp like fixer suggested to kill the grass first is an excellent idea. Also if you need to, water the area well for several days beforehand to soften the roots of the sod and it would be much easier to break loose just using a garden hoe.

.... The above advice on actual railroad ties is good advice. Do not use true RR ties in the garden. I do however have pressure treated landscaping timbers in my garden since it is a raised bed system and that works perfectly fine. Pressure treated lumber and and treated landscaping timbers are the most common thing used in gardens since they are in contact with the ground and will take years to start to break down. If you don't use pressure treated lumber or landscaping timbers your boards will just start to rot within the year. If you look on the internet at pictures of raised beds that are bordered with wood, 90% of the time it's pressure treated landscaping timbers or lumber. I will say though it's much easier and cheaper to use the landscaping timbers especially on a larger scale. Using regular treated lumber is more commonly used only on a smaller area such as a small square foot garden system or bed. Also, you could check into just using concrete blocks for a border if a border is needed. These are sold at all home improvement stores and usually are only $1.50 or so a piece.

My advice honestly would be to take out the RR ties, replace them with treated landscaping timbers or the blocks. Lift the sod out and then till the soil. Add some purchased compost at least and either have your soil checked to see if any other nutrients need to be added or just do what I do and start planting and let it grow. Since the soil has been used to grow things before, it should be fine, it just needs to be "freshened up" which is a common thing that's done every year before planting anyway. Good luck!

[Landscape25]

Thanks Must-Stash!

[Durgan]

I have used old railway ties for garden walls for year, with no ill effects. In fact the earthworms congregate around the inner surfaces of these ties. Used ties probably have most of the creosote leached out. It is time this old wives tale got extinguished.

Sod must be killed or removed or grass will be a hassle for years. You didn't mention the size of the garden. Removing sod on your hands and knees is not a pleasant job if the surface is large. No rototiller will kill grass. Grass must be killed by chipper/shredding or leaving it in a pile and let it dry until completely dead.

Here is how I make a fresh garden bed. Through preparation is essential if you are serious.

Garden Bed Preparation
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?Combed 26 September 2008 Completing New Garden Bed

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?Bedprep 22 September 2008 New Garden Bed Prepared.

General overview of preparing a garden bed which is basically grass covered to begin. The various operations are simplified with the right tools. Most can be rented at a reasonable cost, if the size of the garden doesn't warrant purchasing.

Here is the same two areas in 2009.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?Rototill 2 April 2009 Spring Garden Bed Preparation

[sue s]

i know this is not the organic way, but I had a friend who sprayed the yard area thorouhly with Roundup about 1 month before planting. She then tilled up the dead grass and picked out the dead clumps afterwards. Grew a beautiful garden.