New Bed

I am hoping to dig some new beds out of my lawn - well, hoping to get someone else to do it.
Please can I have advice as to the best way to do this? Would it be a good idea to put the turf back onto the new beds upside down?

 

You could do that if you aren't planning to plant up the beds until the Spring, but the best thing to do would be to stack them in a corner somewhere and leave them to break down.

 

Personally I don't dig when I create new beds in my lawn - it works well for me:

 

Thanks @AnniD, I was intending to get the beds made in autumn and plant up in spring. I don't really have anywhere else to store the turf as it's a small garden.
@Stephen Southwest, thanks that was really interesting. I was hoping to edge the beds with bricks so I'm not sure how that would work but I will think about it.

 

You do not say what you intend to plant. If its for vegetables, do bear in mind that the turf likely has either leather jackets and/or wireworm that will remain to harm your plantings. Removal is therefore best. Otherwise you face 2-3 years of predation as they mature and fly off.(They eat decorative plants too !)
One mediation, which you can perform if the plots are promptly created, would be to sow mustard as a covercrop, to be incorporated in due course. This will displace/destroy these soil pests by fumigation and provide some alternative organic matter to the beds.
This can be done even if its not to be dug, mustard requires only slight tilth and can be chopped/dropped in November,after which frost will likely kill it anyway. Broadcast @1-2 grams/sq metre and firm.

Both yellow and brown mustard seed can be bought from health/eco weigh shops in relatively small quantities if your garden centre fails you. Ask to check that the seed is not radiated (as Tesco s' is !)

Perhaps build a compost heap using turf as the sides. Do not use it back on the beds for3 years.

 

Thank you @infradig. I am hoping to grow decorative plants. Unfortunately I don't have anywhere to store the turf. I will think about sowing mustard seed - depends when I can get the work done.

 

This may be a bit OTT in terms of information (it's a charity that I contribute to), but perhaps some of it might give you a few pointers, especially if you decide to do it yourself
How to make new garden beds and borders - Thrive

 

I widened one of my borders earlier this year @katecat58 and simply turned the turf upside down. It seems to have broken down well with only the odd piece of grass making its way back. The turf wasn’t in the best of condition because of the shaded location which probably made the breakdown easier. I think that if you do this now and wait until spring before planting, any wind, rain, ice or snow will help with the breakdown process. I didn’t want to store the turf elsewhere or have to top up the border with new topsoil. If your lawn is thick and in good condition, the process may take longer.

 

What sort of soil do you have? I have clay soil and I've dug out several beds. The ones that have done best are where I have dug out the grass, but then I did have somewhere to put it, then dug in lots and lots of compost. The first beds I made were covered with weed surpressant fabric for a few months then dug. They didn't have so much compost and the soil isn't so good, some roses are struggling a bit.

One bed is very big so I just dug out big holes, mixed in compost and planted shrubs then covered it all with cardboard and lots of mulch, compost and bark chips.

 

Don't skimp on the prep whatever you do. If you don't have anywhere for the turf to be stored, and you aren't making a deep bed, then just get rid of it. It won't easily break down unless you have lighter, drier soil. In clay soil, it can stay solid for years. If you have room in a corner somewhere, you could just bag it up and leave it, but it depends how much of it you'll have.
I used lots of mine for the bottom of large pots which had things like sweet peas in them, as they need water retentive mixes to do well.

If you add plenty of organic matter, especially rotted manure, it'll make a big difference, and will be in good condition for planting in spring. I wouldn't attempt to put anything in before that, other than decent sized woody shrubs, but in lighter soil it might be ok for planting perennials in autumn, as long as they're not tiny. Green manures will also only work well if the timing's right, so again - your location is a big factor.

 

Thanks everyone that's all very helpful. At the moment it looks as though it may not be done until January as the person I have contacted so far is busy until then.