Raised beds

I wonder if anyone might be able to offer some advice?

I am building raised beds for veggies on top of what is presently grass. How particular do i need to be removing the grass? Once it is covered with top soil will the grass just die or grow through?
Thankyou

 

Grass is tough stuff it will certainly grow through.

 

What height will the beds be angelad?

 

Angelad,what you need to do is turn over the soil in the bottom of the bed then add your new topsoil. As long as you are adding at least a 6inch depth of soil you will be alright.

 

Thank you all for your comments.
The raised beds will be six inches high. My first thought was to dig out all the grass add manure and git (The soil is heavy clay)and top up with top soil. But its such a large area it will be a big job.

If i use the turing the turf over method (would a rotivator be the thing to use?) do you think it will cause a problem for deep rooted veg ie spuds?

 

If you are growing rootcrops you really do need to turn it over, if you can use a rotorvator then do so. What you are making, are not "raised beds" but deep beds, and you need to cultivate the soil that is already there. The idea of deep beds, is to encourage plants to root downwards rather than outwards. This means you can cram more plants into a smaller area, without causing plant health problems.

 

Id be inclined to round up the grass areas before making the beds then fork in the dead turf so the roots of your veg can penertarte.

Otherwse youll have a hard pan of soil.

 

Hi folks. To save opening a new thread, I thought I`d ask here. Is it REALLY necessary to use imported soil for a raised bed ? The thing is, I seem to have plenty of soil to spare for this purpose. Cheers...freddy.

 

Oh...just to add..I have a very good depth of topsoil, haven`t come across any clay as yet.

 

Come on folks...I wanna make a start on it tomorrow !! Cheers...freddy.

 

Freddy, use what ever is at hand, why spend good money on soil if you have plenty there?

 

Hi Dai, thanks for the response. The reason I asked is that it seemed it was a `given`(in here) that you had to import topsoil. The `stuff` I have hasn`t been cultivated for years, if ever, but it does LOOK good. I dont expect much this year, but my aim is to build up the fertility over the coming years. Cheers...freddy.

 

Freddy, as long as it has good texture, you can, as you say, improve the condition over the years. Use it, grow the plants you want to grow, and their condition will tell you what you need to do to improve the soil. I also apologise for our falling out the other week.

 

Dai..I apppreciate that.

 

All of it......BTW