getting rid of lawn

We have about a one acre area of lawn that I want to garden on. Right now, there's a mixture of grass and clover—maybe 75% clover. There's a small area of zoysia or bermuda grass in there—I can tell because it's all brown now. The soil is pretty clay-based overall, though I've noticed that in that area, I can get a shovel in. There is life in there, with quite a few earthworms . . . and I saw grubs, too.

Over the summer, I put a tarp down over a large area and left it there for about six weeks, then I moved it. Killed everything underneath nicely and I was able to kind of scrape it away; I planted garlic and a few other things. It's ready for spring planting. Yay! I have loads of leaves available to me and I can get a modest amount of aged horse manure in wood chips.

The issue is that the prepared area is small and the rest is still lawn. I really had anticipated having rows and rows ready by now. Since I flubbed that, what's the best way to get rid of all that lawn? Tarping it is slow. I refuse to use a chemical, broad-sprectrum weed killer (I know you guys hate that, too, but that is the first thing folks around here recommend.

From all that I've read, plowing might not be all that great of an idea. We do have a small rototiller that tills maybe six inches down.

What would you do, and when? I've got nearly an acre left. We are in zone 6a and have been blessed with a few more warmish days yet.

Hi.
Personally I'd use the rototiller just once. Then immediately sown cover crops if I don't have the seedlings and the mulch ready.
If there's bermuda grass, I'd take away as much as I could and I would let it dry before composting.
I know it's not ideal, but you should be doing what makes you happy.
The best way to till it is with the help of a broadfork (those that you can stand over it), but it's hard work, and it's just impossible in dry clayey soil. Good thing about the broadfork is that it only tills 1 foot deep. Do you know if you can set the rototiller to till superficially, like less than 1 foot? That would allow you to remove the lawn without breaking your soil too much.

Where's there's no bermuda grass, an alternative method is to cover the area you want to plant with cardboards, then some mulch over the cardboards, then you plant  each seedling digging a small hole that passes through the cardboards. This does not work with bermuda grass, since it regrows from beneath, but should be ok for clover.

I would not want to get rid of all that lawn.

I would want to leave some of it for paths between my garden beds. Clover, Bermuda, and or zoysia would make for nice paths.

If raised beds are not desirable then edging would keep the lawn from encroaching on the garden beds.

While you are waiting for spring, I would cover the area for your garden beds with leaves and cardboard.  I would put the cardboard down first then cover it with 6 inches of leaves.  A layer of wood chips would be great for holding down the leaves.

Wishing you the best for your future garden.

Abraham Palma wrote:Hi.
Personally I'd use the rototiller just once. Then immediately sown cover crops if I don't have the seedlings and the mulch ready.
If there's bermuda grass, I'd take away as much as I could and I would let it dry before composting.
I know it's not ideal, but you should be doing what makes you happy.
The best way to till it is with the help of a broadfork (those that you can stand over it), but it's hard work, and it's just impossible in dry clayey soil. Good thing about the broadfork is that it only tills 1 foot deep. Do you know if you can set the rototiller to till superficially, like less than 1 foot? That would allow you to remove the lawn without breaking your soil too much.

Where's there's no bermuda grass, an alternative method is to cover the area you want to plant with cardboards, then some mulch over the cardboards, then you plant each seedling digging a small hole that passes through the cardboards. This does not work with bermuda grass, since it regrows from beneath, but should be ok for clover.

Our rototiller doesn't till deeply. I had thought about the cardboard but it's a HUGE area. Also, is cardboard okay for use in food gardens?

Anne Miller wrote:I would not want to get rid of all that lawn.

I would want to leave some of it for paths between my garden beds. Clover, Bermuda, and or zoysia would make for nice paths.

If raised beds are not desirable then edging would keep the lawn from encroaching on the garden beds.

While you are waiting for spring, I would cover the area for your garden beds with leaves and cardboard.  I would put the cardboard down first then cover it with 6 inches of leaves.  A layer of wood chips would be great for holding down the leaves.

Wishing you the best for your future garden.

You're right and I was going to use lawn as paths. Would you use cardboard in a food garden?

Thanks for the good wishes!

Cardboard is fine for a food garden as long as any print is facing up.

Abraham said, "This does not work with bermuda grass, since it regrows from beneath, but should be ok for clover.

Over winter, it might be possible that even some of the Bermuda might be killed off and so digging the rest might be easier.

I think that you should do a little bit of research and find a way to make use of your lawn and should not get rid of it.