Removing Sod for New Flower Beds

Determine which areas of the yard you're going to dedicate to new flower beds, then mark them off with spray paint, stakes, string or something else that can be easily moved or altered. At this point you can decide whether to make the new flower beds larger, smaller or different shapes before putting the effort into digging up sod in your yard.

Prepare the sod to be dug up if you have some time before the new flower beds need to be installed. Steve Carroll of "Fine Gardening" magazine suggests several methods to make the sod easier to remove. For example, water the area a couple days ahead of time to make the soil easier to work. Alternatively, cover the grass with newspaper, dark plastic wrap or cardboard in the weeks prior to your project to smother the plants below, making them easier to cut up and remove.

Dig a 1- to 2-inch trench along the border of your new flower bed with a shovel, and put the sod in a wheelbarrow for easy removal. Within the borders of your new flower beds, cut the sod into uniform, parallel strips. Carroll suggests widths of about 1 to 2 feet, using a shovel.

Pry up the edges of the individual strips with a shovel or garden spade, rolling them up if possible, and discard the sod into a wheelbarrow. Well-established turf may need to have the roots cut through as you remove the sod, and this can be done with a shovel or hand-held garden shears. Particularly thick or deep-rooted areas of sod may need to be removed with the aid of a sod-cutter or tiller, which can usually be rented from local hardware stores.