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Turning A Lawn into a Large Planting Border

BenDoverBenDover Posts: 488
in Problem solving
I've got a plan to turn my lawn into a large planting border with paths running thru' it.  I think the simplest way of killing off the lawn is using the no dig method of covering with cardboard and then spread loads of compost over the top.  Anybody done this and confirm the sort of depth I need to go to make sure the grass is killed off.  I'm thinking maybe 3 to 4 inches in old money or 7-10 cm in new money. 

In terms of compost, I've read lots of comments about how poor it is these days with peat free.  Would I be better using a combo of top soil and compost to give it a bit of substance, and throw in some well rotted manure as well?  Can you actually still buy peat based compost these days?
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  • ViewAheadViewAhead Posts: 866
    You can get compost that has some peat in it.  Homebase do a Westland line at £9 for 50l (though recently they have had a 3 for 2 offer, which may still be running).  I will try to find a link. 
  • ViewAheadViewAhead Posts: 866
    Here you go.  

  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    The soil under your lawn will be very compacted and poor. This will make it difficult for new plants to do well.
    I have a new garden and the most important thing to me is to ensure that whatever I plant has a good start. My soil is clay and I have needed to dig down and break through a 'pan' of clay so that plants can find their way deep down into the soil.

    Having had a garden that had a thick pan of clay that was impossible to get through in parts I had to grow a very restricted number of plants. Clematis were a non starter and I used everything I could over the years to break up the clay. I did have water butts but in dry conditions many plants suffered because they weren't that deep rooted.

    You may not be facing this sort of challenge but well prepared soil is the key to growing plants that thrive. The photo shows a new north facing border with added manure and soil conditioner. The soil is raised at present but will drop in time.
    These plants will be planted on a temporary basis this autumn for that reason.


    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • BenDoverBenDover Posts: 488
    ViewAhead said:
    Here you go.  

    Thanks so much. 
  • BenDoverBenDover Posts: 488
    Thanks @GardenerSuze - I've read up on no dig gardening and apparently, compaction isn't an issue as adding lots of organic material will encourage worms and other beneficial things that live in the soil to aerate it.  Also, I'm on a sandy loam so it doesn't get very compacted near the surface.  I do have a soil pan about 2 foot down which I always come across whenever I've dug in the garden previously regardless if its in the lawn or the borders so I think raising the soil level using no dig will actually help. 
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    @BenDover I am so pleased to know that you won't be facing the same issues as me. As you can imagine with a new garden the soil is top of my list.
    I have never gardened on a sandy loam I don't know anyone in this area who does.
    Good luck with an interesting plan. I wil be keen to know how it goes.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • PerkiPerki Posts: 2,527
    I did something similar a couple of years ago replaced a small lawn for a whole planting bed . I scrapped mine off and rotavated but if it were large area I would of killed it off with weed killer and probably rotavated the old turf in .

    It will take a while to kill the grass and you may not get round to planting this year depending on the weather . I wouldn't worry about peat free compost its just going to be a mulch to help improve the soil structure. I do no dig in my veg beds I probably put on about 5cm ish ( I am not sure I just throw it on ), using just large amount of compost it will sink down in time so planting plants just in the compost layer is a no go. Adding top soil will give it more body , its quite expensive top soil and wouldn't be necessary if the mulch was dug into the soil . 
  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039
    I don't think MPC is the best thing to use for that job, manure, or garden compost would be better.
    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • BenDoverBenDover Posts: 488
    punkdoc said:
    I don't think MPC is the best thing to use for that job, manure, or garden compost would be better.
    Thanks - I don't have access to garden compost.  I was also planning to use manure, and I also have access to some well rotted oak leaf mould as my friend has a wood and collects the leaves and piles them up every year.  
  • robairdmacraignilrobairdmacraignil Posts: 782
    BenDover said:
    punkdoc said:
    I don't think MPC is the best thing to use for that job, manure, or garden compost would be better.
    Thanks - I don't have access to garden compost.  I was also planning to use manure, and I also have access to some well rotted oak leaf mould as my friend has a wood and collects the leaves and piles them up every year.  

    Manure is what I have used mostly myself in no dig areas and it has worked well. Cardboard will kill off what is below your new planting area once the edges are overlapped so weeds like couch grass and creeping buttercup can't stretch to get through the gaps. I have also used a very thick layer of  manure on its own with no cardboard and found a layer of over 20centimetres or 8inches was enough to kill off the lawn in the area I recorded working on in this series of videos.
    Happy gardening!
    https://www.youtube.com/user/sustainableveg/videos
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