Cutting Sod for a New 4-by-12 Perennial Bed With a Cutter Mattock: Edge Lines, a 1- to 2-Inch Slice, and Flipped Turf
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. A 4-by-12 bed along a fence is 48 square feet of lawn to lift. That is small enough to do by hand in an afternoon, and a cutter mattock handles both the edge cuts and the slice under the roots. How deep should you cut sod to start a new garden bed? Slice just under the grass roots, about 1 inch deep and no more than 1 to 2 inches. Water two or three days before if the soil is dry, cut the outline first, then lift the sod in pieces small enough to carry. Keep the sod, because it holds valuable topsoil. Iowa State University Extension's guide to killing grass for a new garden bed says to slide the blade horizontally just under the shallow root system, about 1 inch deep. It says to dig a couple of days after a soaking rain or water two or three days ahead. The University of Maryland Extension's lawn removal methods page describes sli...