lasagna gardening/sheet mulching

This veggie garden was once lawn, but was quickly transformed into a veggie bed with no digging.

I no longer dig up the lawn to make a new bed, instead I make a raised bed right over top. Not only is this method easy, it results in a nice fertile soil. Removing the grass not only is time consuming and painful, it also takes away all kinds of beneficial microorganisms and organic matter from the soil. 

1. Use a garden hose laid out on the ground to make an outline then use landscape paint (found at home hardware stores) mark the shape on the grass.
2. Place ½ inch layer of newspaper or cardboard on top of grass, wet the paper as you go.
3. Add at least 6 inches of soil combined with manure, compost and/or SeaSoil on top of the paper.
4. Add three inches of organic mulch.
5. Either slope the sides gently to the lawn then install lawn edging or place cinder blocks, bricks or wood to enclose the bed.
6. Water the entire bed well.
7. If you wish to plant, wait for a week to plant small rooted plants such as winter bedding plants (pansies), perennials, and veggies.If you want to plant deeper rooted plants asap, then increase the soil depth from 6 inches to a foot.
8. It will take up to a year for the newspaper to decompose, depending on the weather, the location of the bed and the depth of the soil. 

Lay a thick layer of overlapping newspapers over the lawn.

Cardboard without tape or stickers can also be used.

Lay at least 6 inches over top of the wetted newspaper.

Lay an organic mulch overtop of the soil. Use fall leaves as they are plentiful now.

The mulch layer should be at least 3 inches deep.