How to Create a Landscape Trench at the Edge of a Flower Bed

Establishing a crisp edge to a garden, to show a distinction between the grass and the garden's soil can be accomplished with a shovel, spade, or power edger/trencher. The process is best done on dry soil and involves digging a shallow trench to cut through grass roots. For long garden beds, the easiest and fastest method is to use a powered edger/trencher.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. 
    
   Clean blade compartment

   This electric edger/trencher, like most powered edgers, has a door to open where dirt collects around the blade during operation. Before plugging in the edger, open the door and using your fingers or a stick, clean out any dirt.
   
   After cleaning the edger, close and lock the door. Set the blade depth to the deepest available setting and select the trench setting. Plug in the edger.

2. 
    

   Place the blade portion of the edger at the location where you want the break between grass and the garden to be. Holding the handle of the edger down to allow the blade to be slightly above ground, squeeze the trigger to start the blade spinning and slowly lower it into the ground. Push the edger forward at a slow and steady pace. You will need to make several cuts in this fashion, so you can finish the length of the garden edge or make multiple cuts in small sections. With each subsequent do-over, move the edger slightly further into the garden (or grass) to create trench about six inches wide.
   
   You may prefer to cut a three foot stretch and work that area repeatedly to gain the trench separation between the grass and the garden.

3. If the soil is moist, you may need to clean collected dirt from the blade compartment periodically. Before opening the blade door, unplug the edger. When you are finished, you should also clean the blade compartment before putting the edger away.