Updated June 2023
So you want to get rid of the grass and turn it into a veg plot or maybe you just want to create a new lawn because your lawn is in poor condition and you want a new lawn. In either case, time and nature is / are your salvation!
In a nutshell, If you want to remove (kill off) grass & other vegetation, you need 3 things :-
a. Black plastic or other “light obscuring material” e.g. mulch, cardboard or old carpet etc.
b. Time! if you’re in a hurry, you’ll need to use other methods.
c. Patience!
If you have the patience and the time to wait, the use of black plastic will remove (kill off) the grass and all other vegetation. Covering the grassed area with black plastic will stop any light getting through and in time, the grass and roots will also disappear but you will need to allow 6 to 8 weeks (often several months) for this to happen.
When the grass and root system have been killed off by the lack of light, the soil can then be easily worked. Rotavate by all means, it’s easier than digging and by all means work in some organic matter and / or manure and then rake and level to your hearts desire 🙂
Other methods.
1. Hard work 🙂 Cut the grass as short as possible and then do some “double digging”. This means digging a trench* and put the dug out contents “out of the way” then dig another trench alongside and fill the first trench with the grass turves placed upside down along with sod free soil. Dig another trench and repeat. Continue until you have done all the “site”. You will be left with a pile of earth and turves from the first trench, use this to fill the last trench. Indeed hard work but if you’re planning a veg patch, it will be the best option if you’re in a hurry. You should include some manure into the trenches and this will be a good start to your veg growing aspirations 🙂
*The trench would normally be “1 spit” deep (the length of the spade blade), width would be the width of the spade.
NOTE. If you are preparing for new lawn using grass seed or turf, you only need to prepare the soil to about 4 inches (100mm). If your soil is heavy, the use of organic matter (manure / compost) will help break down the clay. You could introduce “grit sand” but you would need a lot of it, otherwise the clay could form clumps. You need to create a “free draining” soil, adding “organic material” is usually better than adding grit sand. (See my page “Old Lawn to New Lawn“)
2. Lot of effort! Cut the grass as short as possible, then use a spade or edging iron to cut the turf into manageable sizes, then use a spade to get under the turf or hire a turf lifter*. Lift and stack the turves upside down, if you cover with “black plastic”, the stack of turves will “rot” down over a year or so and should be suitable as grass and root free loam to use in your garden.
If you don’t have any suitable place to store the turves, This could be a problem.
*using a turf lifter could be a good option but if you don’t have anywhere to store the old turves, this could be a problem 🙁
3. Systemic Weedkiller e.g. Glyphosate. This is a good option for killing weeds generally and it does indeed kill down to the roots. Unfortunately it doesn’t seem to destroy the root sod (of grassed areas) so this isn’t really a good option 🙁
4. Weathering. This is a slightly easier method than “double digging”, It’s a bit like “ploughing”. Cut the grass as short as possible and then just use a fork to turn over the grass turves, then let the frost and winter weather help breakdown the “root sod”. This method is probably more suited to preparing for a veg patch and needs patience. It’s not a good option for a new lawn preparation.
Conclusion
Turning a grassed area into a veg plot can be relatively easy if you have the time and patience or it could be hard work if you want things to happen quickly. If you are serious about wanting a good veg plot and don’t want to wait, I would recommend the “Hard work” (Double digging) method and make sure you include some good organic compost / manure.
Growing your own veg is very rewarding as is growing “Edible plants” e.g. Nasturtiums and “herbs” for culinary use.