How to Kill Lawn Grass for a New Garden Site

You will need to eliminate the grass completely before planting your garden.

You can successfully plant a flower or vegetable garden in an area of your yard covered by grass, but you will need to kill the grass beforehand. Make sure the grass and weeds will not grow back and compete with your garden for nutrients. Digging will remove the grass but not kill all of the roots. Kill your grass completely to ensure it does not grow back.

Things You'll Need

• Lawnmower
• Black landscape fabric
• Four cement blocks
• Herbicide
• Goggles
• Gloves
• Protective clothing

Instructions

Black Landscape Fabric

1. Mow grass in the chosen area for the garden site. Take away grass clippings and dispose of them.

2. Place the black landscape fabric over the grass to block out sunlight. This will kill roots and discourage new grass from growing, according to Gardening Know How.

3. Place rocks or cement blocks on each corner of the landscape fabric to prevent the wind from blowing it away.

4. Leave the fabric down for a few weeks, checking under it periodically to see if the grass has died. When it has, you can plant directly on top of the fabric by cutting holes in the fabric for digging seed holes.

5. Place mulch around the plants to hide the landscape fabric, which along with the mulch will prevent the growth of grass and weeds and keep the ground moist.

Herbicide

1. Check the weather to make sure no rain is forecast for 48 hours.

2. Cover surrounding grass, flowers and plants with an old sheet or tarp to prevent the herbicide from splashing on the foliage.

3. Protect yourself from herbicide chemicals by donning goggles, pants, a long-sleeve shirt and gloves.

4. Apply the herbicide according to the directions on the manufacturer's label. Wait two weeks before planting any plants in the garden.

Tips & Warnings

• Round Up and Ortho are two brands of herbicides that will effectively eliminate unwanted grass and weeds.

• Herbicides come either ready to use or in concentrates. Depending on how much grass you need to kill, use a pre-mixed herbicide that doesn't require you to attach a water hose. For larger areas of grass, use a concentrate.

References

• Gardening Know How: How to Kill Grass Naturally -- Kill Unwanted Grass in Your Yard
• Scott's Miracle Grow: Roundup® Weed & Grass Killer Super Concentrate