So there are many ways to do this, are you talking about an above ground garden bed, same level ect,
What type of grass?
if its couch your talking different methods?
Dig or no dig?
A common method is to use the cardboard, and mulch method, or use carpet.
As for burning the grass this is something than can Potentially get you a large fine!
Fastest, would be to dig it up!
Or to till it into the soil,
a sharp spade, making a perimeter of the new site! so you would be stabbing ground with the spade to cut the grass, and repeating alone a line, one the perimeter is made, you then can make grass strips, and once that is done you can use the spade to lift up the strips.
If you're wanting a fast solution that isn't smothering the turf then I agree with Alex - cutting off the turf would be the obvious way to go. The sod can be stacked somewhere where it will rot down in a year or so into nice loam for potting compost or top soil.
Sometimes it's better to go a slow route though if you can. By adding organic matter to mulch the turf (wood chips, straw, compost) to a good depth, you will increase the microbial activity and make the area much more fertile for growing plants (see Dr Redhawk's soil threads for some deep reading!) I've got an area of turf where I want to start growing food, and am going both routes. One area I'm making into a lazy bed to sow into next spring, and the rest I'm trying various different methods all of which are designed to increase the organic matter and hence microbial activity in the soil.
What soil type and region are you? What do you hope to grow here and when?
If you have lawn grass then plough or double dig it under depending on the size of the area, if you have any rhizome grass like couch then the only way to get rid of it "fast" is either starvation; covering with plastic or other material for at least 18 months preferably 2 years. or a sieve.
A bonfire would have to burn for a long time and would kill everything in the top inch+ depending on your soil it could also leave you with pottery directly under it.
I think a weed torch is similar to a roofing torch, that might be a good way to have a very controlled burn. I'm not sure if that will totally kill the grass though, and you'd potentially kill the good stuff you want to keep in the soil too. Are you in the southern hemisphere and entering summer? If not I would suggest digging up what you can, turning over the rest and then covering it with a temporary material to block light and water over the winter. Then in the spring build up the bed on top of that so any remaining grass has to grow up through a foot or more of bed to reach the sun.
Sorry about my delay in responding! I've been stupidly busy wrapping up my job. (As an aside, if you need help with anything data - analysis, databases, processes, visualization, etc - let me know!)
I'm not sure what grass I have - I'm blank slate. I'll use the spade method to roll up the grass and then buy some top-soil and go from there! Thank you for all the advice!
Oh I'm in Australia - so nearly summer here.
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