Topic: Converting lawn to veggie plot

[carrot-cruncher]

For various reasons I gave up my allotment last year with the plan that I grow my veggies at home.   I have a very large front garden which is all currently lawn (courtesy of the previous owners) & it is a portion of this that I plan to use for veggie cultivation.

My plan is to mow the lawn as short as possible then run my rotavator over it to chop up the turf which I can then send to the local recycling centre.   I will then (hopefully!!) be able to run my rotavator over the open soil to start breaking it up, ready for cultivation.

Potatoes are a biggy this year, because they break up the soil but I wondered if there were any other veggies people could suggest to help loose the soil.

Also, does anybody have any other suggests on how to convert the space from lawn to veggie plot.   I did look at the possibility of hiring a turf removing machine but felt the area I am clearing (approx 800 square foot) would not be worth the cost or time or effort involved in fetching/using/returning said machine.

All suggestions gratefully received.

CC

[flossy]

   Doing the same thing carrot-cruncher,   reckon I will just put my raised-bed frame straight
   onto the lawn , layer with cardboard / newspaper/ home compost - all or either,  wet it well
   cover with home or bought compost and good garden soil,  cover with perm. membrain or
   black plastic  --  open it up in march, top up with more compost and get going with the planting.

   Good luck with it all,

   floss x

[Lauren S]

I've not done this before, but I certainly wouldn't get rid of the turfs. Pile them up somewhere out of sight to rot down for next year. Or if you are doing raised beds, Flossy had the best idea, save time and energy and just put your beds on top of the lawn.

Good luck with what ever you decide to do  :)

[carrot-cruncher]

I have considered frames but my front garden is a slightly odd shape because I live on a corner.   The part of the garden I want to convert is furthest away from the house & is curved so frames may lead to wasted space.

Do you think your idea would work if I just dumped the compost/membrane etc loosely on top of the lawn & let the plants work their way through?

CC

[debster]

i did the same but did it bit by bit as i needed the space it broke the work down into bits and stopped the bits i was not going to be using for a while reweeding up

[Eristic]

Why not just mow the lawn then dig it?

[tartonterro]

did the same myself at the end of last year when i lost my plot
by luck i had a tarpolen down for under my tent greenhouse so all i did was move the greenhouse onto a slabbed area we had and moved the tarpolen - grass was all gone - but boy were there hundreds if not thousands of snail/slug eggs - weed wand made short work of them - i broke up the surface then put down raised beds from plot, filled with leaf mould and compost and topped off with old grow bags.
from advise ive had before your just as well digging over the ground as much as planting the likes of potatoes as your only really delaying the enevetable in having to dig the ground
but to be honest i still put potatoes in at the plot on ground i hadnt dug and dug it up when i lifted the potatoes - just before i lost the plot (allotment not my mind lol)
more work to do this year as i put the tarpolen down again over another area of grass that will need dug up. ;D

[tonybloke]

dig in the turf, don't throw away valuable organic matter!! ;)

[dtw]

If the turf is in good condition, why not sell it?

[thifasmom]

i liked flossy's idea but since wood edged beds may waste space why not try edging with bricks which will allow you to create any shape you like.

have to agree with others who advised on composting your turf if you felt you had to dig it up.

lasagna beds are also another option in creating a deep no dig planting area. google lasagna gardening for tips, good luck and happy vege growing.

[the-goodlife]

rough dig it now!! turn the turf in good compost and this cold snap will break the soil down for you and will make it easier to work in the spring, run your rotovator over at least twice in the spring, any grass that makes it through spray it off in the back end or pull it out?