Clearing Existing Vegetation for “No-Dig”/”No-Till” Beds

Just like for tilling and digging methods, the first step in making a “no-dig” or “no-till” bed is to decide how you want to clear the area you intend as a bed of its existing vegetation. If the site has persistent weeds with strong root systems, like dandelions and large bull thistles, or grasses, such as quackgrass and bermudagrass, that spread by strong stolons or rhizomes, you have four options for their removal: smothering them in advance, smothering them when you build the bed, tilling them in, or removing them altogether. There are benefits to each method. Plus, if you have relatively tame existing vegetation, such as an annual rye cover crop or relatively tame weeds or turf grasses, there is a much simpler method to smother them.

Option 1: Smother in Advance (the ideal)

Whatever existing vegetation you have, if you have enough lead time, smothering in advance is by far the best option. Not only does it kill most persistent weeds and sod, but it also gives time for them to at least partially decompose, adding fertility and friability to the soil. For more details on smothering sod and persistent weeds and its benefits, see my post on dealing with sod and persistent weeds.

Option 2: Smother When Building the Bed (has pros and cons)

If you don’t have sufficient lead time to smother the existing vegetation in advance, you can also do it as part of the process of building the bed. First, mow the vegetation in the area of the bed as low as possible. Then cover the entire area with a layer of newspaper five-to-ten sheets thick. It’s easiest if the paper is wetted in advance so it doesn’t blow around as you lay it out.

One easy option for wetting the newspapers is to place them in a five-gallon bucket and cover them with water. Once they’re completely soggy, dump out the extra water, and you’re ready to spread the paper. Why newspapers? Anything thicker than newspaper (e.g. cardboard) creates and even-thicker, longer-lasting barrier, even further isolating your plants from the much-needed soil space and repleshing ground water beneath it.

As described in my post on the pros and cons of “no-dig/no-till” methods, this way of smothering has significant downsides, and a person should consider them carefully before using it. However, it has one very strong benefit: It allows a gardener to start using a plot to grow vegetables, fruits, and flowers right away, while the vegetation underneath is being smothered. However, there are other techniques that not only allow gardeners to start growing right away but also loosen the underlying soil.

Option 3: Mow and Till (has added benefits)

If you aren’t able to smother the persistent weeds and vigorous sod grasses in advance and don’t want to suffer the detriments inherent in smothering them while building the bed, you can mow them as low to the ground as possible and then till them in thoroughly. This technique has the added benefit of loosening the existing soil under the bed, providing additional easy rooting space for your plants. For more information on tilling in sod and persistent weeds, see my post on dealing with sod and persistent weeds.

Option 4: Dig the Weeds and Remove Sod

You can also pry up the persistent weeds with a digging fork and then remove the sod. For more information on physically removing persistent weeds and sod, read my post on dealing with sod and persistent weeds.

Option 5: Just Mowing

If you don’t have persistent weeds to contend with (e.g. you’re planting over an annual cover crop or a relatively well-behaved sod like red fescue or Kentucky bluegrass), you can simply mow the existing vegetation as low as possible to prep the bed. The compost added in step 3 will be thick enough to smother all but the most persistent weeds and sod.

Now You’re Ready

Once you’ve removed or smothered your existing vegetation, you’re ready to build a “no-dig”/”no-till” bed and enjoy the ease and production of these methods:

Beds with 6″ of Added Compost
“Raised Row” Beds
Lasagna Beds
Straw Bales “Beds”