What to do with grass?

[strantor]

I'm starting my first in-the-ground garden in the back yard, which is covered in carpet grass and weeds. The front yard has a huge patch of bare ground, and I've been cutting squares of sod out of the back yard to re-sod the front yard and also to create a space for the garden.

Now, I've gotten to a large patch of weed grass (no carpet grass at all there) and I don't want to transplant the weed grass into the front yard. I think that I probably shouldn't till it and mix the weeds into the soil or I'm going to have lots of problems later. I don't really want to cut it out like the carpet grass and then just have a pile of worthless sod in the back yard. What should I do with it?

 

[so lucky]

If you had started earlier--like last fall, you could have covered the area with something that would block out the light, like cardboard, black plastic, leaves, mulch. That would kill out the weeds/grass, and give you a bare area to till up this spring, tilling in lots of compost at that time. Now, however, there is not time for spring planting to still do this. You could do this now and then plant a fall garden there.

You could use Round-up, if you don't mind using chemicals. Monsanto says it is safe to use around edible crops. Some of us disagree.

You could burn off the area if it is not too damp. The burnt grass would provide minerals to the soil.

One bad thing about scraping off the sod is that you are scraping off a layer of partially decomposed organic material that is useful in a garden. You have to start building up the soil from scratch, but that may be better than fighting weed seeds forever.

There is no 100% right answer. Choose the one you can live with.

Oh, and Welcome!

 

[canesisters]

Hey, me too. I composted some of mine. The rest I piled up around the edge, I'm probably going to regret that.

If you're worried about the seeds getting into your garden, you could pick a spot to 'grow' your compost for next year and layer manure/grass & roots/manure. Top it with all your garden waste, mowed grass this summer, raked leaves, kitchen waste, etc. Water well and by this time next summer you'll have GREAT compost to give that 'new' garden a boost for next season.

 

[ducks4you]

Sorry, so lucky, but I wouldn't use RoundUp. The newest product sticks even in the rain, and will kill everything it comes it contact with.
I would suggest that you dig the grass and turn it over on the edges of your crop lines. It will decompose and fertilize, but won't grow back there. You will need to dig down about 6 inches to get the roots. Newspaper on top afterwards will ensure this doesn't happen, if you're not sure.
It is the grass's seeds blowing in your garden that gets grass into the beds. Grass really is the BEST groundcover.

 

[digitS']

I have shaken the dirt out of weed grasses like quack grass and hauled it to the "clean & green" composting site.

They can better deal with it than me :/.

I have a lot of Kentucky blue grass that comes into the paths in the garden. I think I'm actually carrying the seeds in on my shoes! KBG is a dwarf, no roots to speak of, easy to pull and, even the sod makes good compost.

Steve

 

[lesa]

I can't remember if you have chickens? Mine love it when I give them that kind of sod/weed/grass. They will dig it apart and have a grand time.

 

[catjac1975]

I would dig it all up as you have been the sod grass. Pile it as in a compost pile Maybe add manure and leaves. They cover it with a heavy guage black plastic sheeting .It will kill the weeds and leave you with nice soil to amend your beds.

 

[secuono]

Feed it to pigs, rabbits or guinea pigs.

 

[baymule]

If it is weeds I never want to see again, I put them in a trash bag and throw it away. If it is leafy and I don't mind it so much, I feed it to the chickens. I don't compost weeds because sometimes it seems like that just fertlizes them and then put it back in the garden Weeds on steroids.

 

[MontyJ]

It isn't going to matter much if you till it. Unless you dig it out and take the top inch or so of soil with it, the seeds are already in/on the ground. Personally, I would cut it as close to the ground as possible, rake it well, then till it under. Make sure to remove any clumps of grass still showing after tilling. If you have time, you could cover it with black plastic for a week after cutting it. That will weaken it quite a bit right before tilling.