How to Keep Wood Edging in the Ground

Edging a home garden or a public park improves its appearence and health.

Wood board edging creates an attractive, sharply defined border between the garden and lawn or pathway. Wood board edging also creates a barrier that keeps weeds and grass from encroaching into the garden. Soil and mulch do not blow out of the garden in a stiff wind or float out in a hard rain. Landscaping boards are made of long-lasting, rot-resistant redwood, cedar and cypress; or boards that are pressure-treated with chemical preservatives.

Things You'll Need

• Wood stakes
• String
• Shovel
• Landscaping boards, 1-by-6-inch
• Board, 2-by-4-inch
• Rubber mallet
• Carpenter’s level
• Wood stake, 8-inch

Instructions

1. Measure a rectangle or square around the garden and mark it with wood stakes and tightly drawn string.

2. Dig a trench with a shovel around the perimeter of the garden along the inside of the string. Dig to a depth of 3 inches and a width of at least 4 inches. Use the rubber mallet to tamp down on the edge of a 2-by-4-inch board to pack down the bottom of the trench so it is solid and level.

3. Place the first 1-by-6-inch board at the juncture of one corner and use a rubber mallet to tamp it down snugly into the ground, while using a carpenter’s level to make certain it is level. The edging board extends 2 to 3 inches above the ground.

4. Set another board tightly end-to-end against the first board and use the mallet to level it with the first one.

5. Continue until the entire perimeter of the garden is edged in with the boards..

6. Fill the trench between the boards and the garden with soil, and use the rubber mallet to pack the soil firmly around them to keep them securely in the ground..

7. Place an 8-inch wood stake at each end behind the first board. Place an 8-inch wood stake at each end in front of the first board.

8. Hold the board in place, and hammer the four stakes into the ground until the top of the stakes are at the midway point and halfway down the board to keep the boards in the ground.

9. Place wood stakes in the same positions on each board that edges the garden. Hammer the stakes securely into the ground until the tops of the stakes are at the midpoint of the board.

Tips & Warnings

• Nail the wood stakes to the board if the board is not stable. If necessary, dig your trench deep enough to admit 2-by-4-inch boards to serve as hardscape for the edging boards to rest on,

• Above ground wood edging requires trimming grass by hand near the edging when the yard is mowed. Install the landscaping boards flush with the ground if you don't wish to hand-trim the grass.

References

• Kansas State University: All About Edging
• Hunter College: Installing Flat Brick Edging