Making Beds Fast

I have just got back home to cornwall after 6 months away and need to make some beds to grow some food for this summer. I have lots of grass but want to make lots more beds. I have heard a bit of the techniques where you put cardboard carpet or whatever on the grass then load on top with compost manure and the like then in a few months its ready.

However is there way in which I can start planting within the next few days? We have lots of manure from horses well composted.

Cheers for any help.

Joe.

You could cut the turf with a shovel, sift out a majority of the grass roots with a rake or pitch fork, mix in your manure and seed heavily. It's a lot of labor, but if you want to plant in a few days that is likely one of your best options. Lasagna beds would work too, if you have a lot of extra soil and other organic matter laying around. Good luck.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/lasagna-gardening-zmaz99amztak.aspx#axzz2x540BRvq

Lasagna beds.

I have had good luck peeling the sod up with a shovel and flipping it over.

I planted beans in the back of the stacked sod and planted potatoes as a main crop. It worked so well I would recommend it with less durable main crops.
I did not have as much manure as my drawing shows. Mine was less than level with rabbit manure and straw.

After you make the bed, scalp the paths an use the grass or weeds as mulch.

Lasagna gardens are great too, but I found this to be less work. It also gets your main crop's roots into structured soil.

Another option is to get someone else's hogs for a week, and then just shovel paths and mulch when they are gone.
After you plant, smother any weeds with shovels full of composted manure as top dressing.
You can't do this I'm most neighborhoods though

Cheers everyone, will get on the case right away.

Another set of videos to get ideas: