grass, rototilling, and new gardens

[arylkin]

I want to extend one of my gardens into where there is currently grass.  My father-in-law has a rototiller that he says I can use, though I've been reading conflicting things about rototillers and grass.  Some things say just to rototill the grass and take the grass clumps out afterwards, though I've seen other things that say if the grass isn't

Comments

[ladycelia]

It kind of depends upon what kind of grass it is. But killing it first will definitely make it easier to avoid it invading later. The benefits of Round-up have already been mentioned. I, too, am a fan of the stuff when used according to directions.

[yesididit]

i've dont the tilling and pulling out the clumps of grass method. it does mean that after the tilling you do need to root around and toss out all the grass clumps and grass root clumps. it'll take a while. it helps to have a garden fork to dig thru the newly turned soil for clumps. the more thorough you are then, the less you'll find surprising you later in the season

[virginiadear]

A friend and I rented a motorized sod cutter when I needed to remove the sod from my garden beds, newly laid out.

Different, I imagine, than using a manual sod-cutter, but it still demanded a lot of muscle and a lot of determination; they're not all that easy to handle when they're running, according to my friend (who insisted that I'd amputate my own foot or wrench my back if I were at the helm, so he did the work and although he's still got both feet, he did hurt his back wrestling that thing around the beds.)

Thanks for the heads-up on the manual sod-cutter. I'd like to find out more about those....

[yesididit]

i found using a rented rototiller required wrestling and muscle to control the thing, keep it from running away from you AND keep it aimed where you want it to go. it was not an easy experience, but it took FAR less time than digging by hand. my dad and i took turns with the rototiller. but to be fair, i have chronic fatigue, and my dad is in his 60's.

and another tip if you do just go straight for rototilling, using a rake, like a metal tined rake to grab the grass rhizomes and clumps works pretty slick. but you do still have to dig thru/turn over the soil with a garden fork to get to all those rhizomes and clumps.

[virginiadear]

"i found using a rented rototiller required wrestling and muscle to control the thing, keep it from running away from you AND keep it aimed where you want it to go. it was not an easy experience"

Oh, I can well believe this! You and your dad with that rototiller and my friend with the sod-cutter describe very similarly your experiences.
Keeping the machine on course and keeping it from running away from you seems to be the two biggest challenges.

My only personal experience with a rototiller was the use of a Mantis (R), which wasn't bad once the engine was started. And that one time wasn't tilling; it was edging a lawn. The edging wasn't a bad job at all as the Mantis (R) tiller was easy to use (and control!), but clearing away the bits of turf or sod the blade had cut away...that was some work.

[carmy_w]

I have to add to the "kill the grass" side of the fence. Most cool season grasses won't survive tilling. On the other hand, if your grass spreads by rhizome, you will only be making it stronger by tilling it under. I did that with bermuda, and even though we raked 4 BAGS of grass/rhizomes out of the plot, I still was hoeing out grass all summer long. And mulching did nothing whatsoever; the grass just spread underneath, then anywhere the slightest sun got through, up it came! I'd have done much better to wait another month till it was greening up, then killing it off and THEN tilling it under.

I haven't tried it, but an Ask This Old House tip for keeping the grass OUT of your garden is to dig a 6x6 inch trench along the outside edge, and fill it with loose mulch. It's too airy and dry, and the grasses won't easily spread across the barrier. No idea if it works, but the theory is sound, at least!