wilkes

Wet newspaper and cardboard covered with just about anything from dirt to compost will kill grass. Once you have killed the grass take advantage of the existing top soil by mounding it into raised beds that follow the exiting contours in order to conserve water and make permanent pathways to work from. If you are compost challenged like I have been for the last 8 years you might consider the Mittlider method until you have enough compost.

Go get the book square foot gardening by Mel Bartholomew I hope I spelled it right.
A lot of resourceful information on organic gardening. And how to be frugal about it especially if you havent grown organically before. Good luck

phillyjoe is correct, chicken litter is of the devil. This organic garden should only have worm castings, well dried goat, horse or cow manure compost applied and then a large cup of live night crawlers. I have never grown a garden but I am seeing if Google can make it sound like I have.

Do not let Crypt talk you into using Chicken Litter for ferterlizer. Chick weed.

Anyway, If your're sure there are no electric or lawn sprinkler lines, after that grass is good and dead, take the hoe or mattock and put your back into chopping it up. Then take my flame thrower and burn the roots to a crisp, add you some topsoil and sew it so thick with whatever seeds, so once they get to growing good the weeds won't have anywhere to grow.

satan has a good plan, and hope by the time the wife draws up plans with 3D autocad someone else will be "planting it." This has got me out of several projects.

pick a spot in your yard and poop there,get stakes and string and mark off the area.
wait a year then start phase two "detailed planning"

You will have at least $750 in this raised organic garden by the time it's built, fertilized and planted. Are these plants going to have 5 leaves?

A half ton pickup (F150) can haul approx. a cubic yard (27 cu. ft.) of topsoil weighing in at around 1 ton or 2,000 pounds. Now everyone knows this will cover a 10ft. X 10ft. area to a depth of 3 1/4 inches.
The 27 cubic ft of dirt will cost you $61.56 at Lowes (plus $4.92 tax) That was last years price.

Crypt I be thinking he might have a hoe.

Yep pillyjoe is purdy smart .. for a yankee. I wouldn't get the tiller out for a 15 x 20 ft.

Super 10 has bags for sale.Maybe some of the places that sell plants.

i was actually just looking at that as an idea. I think thats probably what i will do. Is there somewhere around here that sells soil but cost effective?

Why not build the box and have a raised box garden. Easier to contain and work.

Its probably going to be 15 ft by 20ft or so. I do have a truck. Its just a section of yard on the side of my house. The job will most likely be done myself. As far as pesticides go, I am sure there is some run off (i used them over a year ago about 50 yards away from where i plan to plant). I am more concerned with keeping it organic from now going forward. I have read some places that wet newspaper can be laid down with compost to kill the grass and weeds?

check here...they are a treasure trove of information...

http://wilkes.ces.ncsu.edu/

If it is going to be a big garden, how many people are going to help you? It's a hard, hot, and lonely job working in a big garden. Especially while the rest of the family is in the airconditiong dranking ice cold drinks and watching t.v.

Do you have a tiller, hoe and garden rake?
Are you rich, poor or in between?
Are you old?
Rocky ground?
Is there a pasture full of cow manure nearby?
What do you intend to plant?
Do you have a pickup truck?
How many feet long and wide is this garden to be?
¥

Have your soil tested first to see if it has been exposed to any chemical contamination, via runoff or acid rain!

Find someone to plow it for you and instead of using poison on potato plants all purpose flower works just as good.