We want to get rid of this grass and make a cottage style garden. Cardboard might be tricky I’m afraid it will slide down with dirt and mulch on top. We were thinking of getting a sod cutter or just removing it manually with shovel and dumping dirt and mulch on top.
Anyone have experience with lawn removal this steep?
by Objective-Cricket991
6 Comments
Small pickaxe and a few hours of effort, then terrace that to match to stair bricks, use the removed sod to fill the bottom of the terraced beds
How could anyone safely mow that death trap?
I had something like that. I put in wild strawberries and purple poppy mallow which are ground covers that are native to my region. They are low growing and fairly prolific. I got them established in patches around the edges, then expanded the patches, using sheet mulching.
I also used logs as borders, anchoring them with sticks to they stayed more or less in place. That also gives a border for lawn care.
If it were me, I might try establishing a circle bed up top where it’s level – just to see what plants do well. Then you could expand that circle by a few feet each year. Alternatively start at the bottom of the hill, and expand upwards. Either way, a well sheet mulched border will keep the grass from invading the native plant garden.
Get yourself some nice-sized rocks free from Facebook marketplace. Everyone is always giving away perfectly good rocks in my area. You can dig those rocks partially into the slope to make terraces. Then you can use some cardboard, held in place with small sticks like landscape staples. The terraces should keep your mulch from sliding off.
Mow it short and solarise with a clear tarp.
I recommend a landscaper/hardscaper if you want to create terraces into it. Terraces would look the most cohesive, especially if you put in some small brick retaining walls to match the steps. You could diy it, but that’s gonna be a big job.
If you skip the terraces you can create little landings for shrubs and mass plant groundcover and flowers suitable for your region, then you won’t need mulch. You’ll need to weed regularly til everything gets established.
I hired contractors and they removed the grass with some type of shovel in under a day.