Four years ago we went the money route: hired men to dig out the grass, then my husband built raised beds and we put in soil and gravel around the beds. We are in year 5 and still loving it. We live in California.
I've done several lawns now Ben - and my method is quite different. The tarp provides a lot of air and space for the grass to continue to grow - so it doesn't die. I wood chip garden as I mentioned on another video - so basically I lay down wet news paper this "sticks" to the grass and suffocates it, then a thick layer of horse manure, then the overlapping cardboard, then I lasagna garden. I start with lots of leaves, then layer it up alternating with nitrogen, carbon etc. I finish with a good 3 inches of wood chips. Done. Finished in a single day. You can plant immediately and create holes for each plant below the level of the woodchips and fill it with composted soil - I generally buy this in large trailer loads, cheap. There may occasionally be some grass on the edges. But the great thing about wood chips is VERY little weeding and it will come out with the slightest yank.
I've only just started my journey and have 3 raised beds (second hand) and I'm loving seeing what I can grow. Keenly watching to soak up your gardening wisdom.
Great job! I m in year one and went with landscape fabric left over autumn and winter before setting in small raised beds with cardboard below. Cheers from France 😊
@@ben.strong cardboard worked surprisingly well in my case. All and all, I m quite pleased with this first year garden. Most of my batches of seedlings were obliterated by slugs but I was able to understand the origin of all the "challenges" each time.
I have a mix of Kikuyu and Cape Royal grass (it has seeds), so I started my veggie patches by digging it out and sifting the soil. Used concrete slabs to form barriers between the patches and the grass, then I dug in some compost, covered the soil with cardboard, cut holes and planted my veggies. Now after starting 3 years ago, I slowly switch to minimal dig and square foot gardening, as I continue to dig out the grass to enlarge my veggie patch as I remove the concrete slabs as I expand it. Hard work, but also good exercise. Even put in one patch (survival patch) where the slabs will stay as I planted sweet potatoes in it. I am going to have a second patch for more "survival" crops.
Wow that all sounds great! Definitely good exercise digging the grass out by hand, you’re braver than me! Good on you sounds like you’ve got a productive garden there
I appreciate you making this video. I know it's a lot of hard work! I'm in the process of reducing lawn myself, and seem to be in an eternal battle with bermuda grass.. haha. Excellent video, though, man! Keep up the good work!
I have been trying to fight against creeping charlie with cardboard, mulch and sweet potatoes planted in holes in the cardboard. The sweet potatoes seem to have barely grown, just little clumps of leaves, and the creeping charlie is taking over.
Yeah it can be really difficult to control certain plants with cardboard, unless you really pile it on. If it looks like the sweet potatoes aren't going to grow, it might be better to tarp the whole thing and wait for the creeping charlie to die. Good luck!
I'm just starting Year 2 of growing my 40 sq/m allotment in the SE suburbs of Melbourne. I'm still digging out potatoes that the previous owner had for 30-odd years. Still, I guess it's free food, right? 🤣
Great vid mate, I've run into similar difficulties in our garden spaces here in Hawaii as well. The weeds are an endless fight, especially when you are trying to keep your soils long term health as your top priority.
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it. I agree! The interesting thing here has been everything that has germinated since the lawn has been dead, a whole host of new companions to deal with!
the key to tarping imo is rotting and smothering not "solerizing" / dehydrating, this means a thick mulch (leaves are best) works as well as plastic - then become pathway mulch and mulch around plants. a note: make sure soil can warm for stuff like tomatoes before mulching.
Great video! I recently did the same except I planted a native flower garden to go along with my vegetable and fruit garden! Love the way you film and edit your videos as well. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for watching! This is a brand new channel so if you enjoyed this vid I’d love it if you gave it a like and subscribed! ❤
Ben these have been the most helpful videos ever for a starter like me. Thank you so much and please do not ever stop teaching us. Thank you.
That's awesome I'm so glad to hear! Thanks for watching :)
Four years ago we went the money route: hired men to dig out the grass, then my husband built raised beds and we put in soil and gravel around the beds. We are in year 5 and still loving it. We live in California.
that's great, sounds like it was well worth it :)
I've done several lawns now Ben - and my method is quite different. The tarp provides a lot of air and space for the grass to continue to grow - so it doesn't die.
I wood chip garden as I mentioned on another video - so basically I lay down wet news paper this "sticks" to the grass and suffocates it, then a thick layer of horse manure, then the overlapping cardboard, then I lasagna garden. I start with lots of leaves, then layer it up alternating with nitrogen, carbon etc. I finish with a good 3 inches of wood chips. Done. Finished in a single day.
You can plant immediately and create holes for each plant below the level of the woodchips and fill it with composted soil - I generally buy this in large trailer loads, cheap. There may occasionally be some grass on the edges. But the great thing about wood chips is VERY little weeding and it will come out with the slightest yank.
I should cover a large portion of my backyard now so it’s ready in a year haha!
haha yep you gotta think ahead!
I've only just started my journey and have 3 raised beds (second hand) and I'm loving seeing what I can grow. Keenly watching to soak up your gardening wisdom.
Nice one Jane! that's exciting
Love your videos! :)
Very nice of you to say! Thanks :)
Great job! I m in year one and went with landscape fabric left over autumn and winter before setting in small raised beds with cardboard below. Cheers from France 😊
Merci beaucoup! Félicitations, ça se passe bien? Est-ce que t’as réussi de tuer l’herbe dessous?
@@ben.strong cardboard worked surprisingly well in my case.
All and all, I m quite pleased with this first year garden. Most of my batches of seedlings were obliterated by slugs but I was able to understand the origin of all the "challenges" each time.
@@ToukiMS That's great, it's a steep learning curve in the first year, so I'm glad to hear it's going well!
Hats off to you guys! That's an impressive achievement in just two years. I'm looking forward to seeing how you progress in this journey.
Thanks so much Ella! It's been a lot of work, but well worth it. Thanks for watching :)
I have a mix of Kikuyu and Cape Royal grass (it has seeds), so I started my veggie patches by digging it out and sifting the soil. Used concrete slabs to form barriers between the patches and the grass, then I dug in some compost, covered the soil with cardboard, cut holes and planted my veggies. Now after starting 3 years ago, I slowly switch to minimal dig and square foot gardening, as I continue to dig out the grass to enlarge my veggie patch as I remove the concrete slabs as I expand it. Hard work, but also good exercise. Even put in one patch (survival patch) where the slabs will stay as I planted sweet potatoes in it. I am going to have a second patch for more "survival" crops.
Wow that all sounds great! Definitely good exercise digging the grass out by hand, you’re braver than me! Good on you sounds like you’ve got a productive garden there
New subscriber! Awesome! Yes I am clearing out my backyard lawn little by little.
Oh great! How has the process been? I hope this video has helped :)
I appreciate you making this video. I know it's a lot of hard work! I'm in the process of reducing lawn myself, and seem to be in an eternal battle with bermuda grass.. haha. Excellent video, though, man! Keep up the good work!
Hey thanks! nice to hear from a fellow lawn killer, you've just gotta be persistent and you will eventually win :)
nice music =)
Thanks! And thanks for watching :)
Meanwhile, Americans: "and I took offense to that..."
I have been trying to fight against creeping charlie with cardboard, mulch and sweet potatoes planted in holes in the cardboard. The sweet potatoes seem to have barely grown, just little clumps of leaves, and the creeping charlie is taking over.
Yeah it can be really difficult to control certain plants with cardboard, unless you really pile it on. If it looks like the sweet potatoes aren't going to grow, it might be better to tarp the whole thing and wait for the creeping charlie to die. Good luck!
@@ben.strong Thanks for the advice. Enjoyed your video.
I'm just starting Year 2 of growing my 40 sq/m allotment in the SE suburbs of Melbourne. I'm still digging out potatoes that the previous owner had for 30-odd years. Still, I guess it's free food, right? 🤣
haha bonus potatoes! you'll be able to grow a good amount of food in 40sqm
lil' buddy doesn't like the brassica either
Great watch, big tip.
Socks and sandals aren’t a good look.😂😂
What suburb are you in?
Haha thanks for the tip. I’m in the northern suburbs
Great vid mate, I've run into similar difficulties in our garden spaces here in Hawaii as well. The weeds are an endless fight, especially when you are trying to keep your soils long term health as your top priority.
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it. I agree! The interesting thing here has been everything that has germinated since the lawn has been dead, a whole host of new companions to deal with!
What a transformation! Such determination to beat the dull grass and grow beautiful organic produce. Such patience with the missus 😎🍅🍆🧄🌰
Thanks Terry! haha, there's more than plants being cultivated in this garden ;)
the key to tarping imo is rotting and smothering not "solerizing" / dehydrating, this means a thick mulch (leaves are best) works as well as plastic - then become pathway mulch and mulch around plants. a note: make sure soil can warm for stuff like tomatoes before mulching.
Hey thanks for the suggestion! I agree this can be a good method if you've got enough material :)
Yes yes yes! The video we ALL needed!!! 8 months?!!! 😢 but ok! Let’s do this 👍👍👍👍
I like your enthusiasm! You can do it in less than 8months if you don’t make my mistakes :)
Great video! I recently did the same except I planted a native flower garden to go along with my vegetable and fruit garden! Love the way you film and edit your videos as well. Keep up the good work.
Thanks so much! I really appreciate the feedback. That sounds awesome, was your lawn as hard to kill as mine?
@@ben.strong Yes! I am still killing a little grass through the mulch.
@@DicksonClaim yeah it doesn’t go down without a fight. All the best with it!