#200637 - 04/11/08 05:46 AM
Clearing grass to start our new vegetable garden
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NuSkewl
Member
Registered: 10/09/04
Posts: 63
Loc: Columbus, Ohio, USA
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Is there a more efficient way of clearing the grass than skimming the top 2-3" of earth to try to get most of the grass up? Or any tools that make it easier? We are just using a normal 'ole spade shovel (it's sharp) right now. We don't have time to do the "newspaper trick" (covering the area w/thick newspapers to kill the grass). We will not use chemicals, just plain 'ole hard work.
Thanks! Sarah 
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#201034 - 04/12/08 07:00 PM
Re: Clearing grass to start our new vegetable garden
[Re: emdeGardener2]
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cricket
Gardener
Registered: 04/03/08
Posts: 368
Loc: Texas
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I use a ground cover in my veggie garden. It's a black plastic like woven material. Or, once your plants are in, put several layers of newspaper down then mulch or grass clippings on the top. If you keep several inches of mulch there shouldn't be much grass fighting you'll have to do.
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Cricket
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#201616 - 04/15/08 08:54 AM
Re: Clearing grass to start our new vegetable garden
[Re: tamara]
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cricket
Gardener
Registered: 04/03/08
Posts: 368
Loc: Texas
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I have pretty large cut outs around my veggies, so I can still get at the plants. I still have to weed some but nothing like before. depending on the size of your garden that ground cover can get expensive! we came across ours for free otherwise I'd have never of used it.
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Cricket
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#202932 - 04/20/08 07:24 AM
Re: Clearing grass to start our new vegetable garden
[Re: NuSkewl]
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NuSkewl
Member
Registered: 10/09/04
Posts: 63
Loc: Columbus, Ohio, USA
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Well, we're making headway w/the spade shovel. We're even getting the sod picked-up & to the curb for the yard waste guys to pick it up on Wednesdays. Once we have the sod up, we'll turn the dirt once. Then we'll add the manure & compost & turn again. During both additional turnings, we're always pulling up the plant stuff that's still there.
Weed prevention: we're going to try putting down newspaper around the plants (instead of the black weed preventer cloth), like Cricket suggested. I had just heard about that idea from some gardening friends here in Columbus. The friends here put down soaker hoses before they put down the newspaper. We don't have those & the friends said to keep a nice amount of space around the plants & they should be just fine (or so they say).
I've been taking pictures of the progress & hopefully I'll be able to post them in the "gardening pictures" thread sometime soon.
Thanks for the ideas! 
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