How to Dig an Edging Trench

There are many types of garden edging, including plastic edging, pavers and stones. The main thing all edging has in common is that they get set into a trench you create around your garden. The size and depth of your trench depends on the type of edging you use. The trench not only helps hold the edging in place, but it also creates a barrier between the garden bed and the grass, which prevents the grass from spreading into the garden too quickly.

Rope
Tape measure
Shovel
Level
Garden edging
Rubber mallet
Hammer

Instructions

- 1
  Lay a rope around the garden bed. Follow the garden bed's contours as accurately as possible with the rope. Straighten out the rope and measure the length you used around the garden bed. Take this measurement with you when you purchase the edging to determine how much you need.
- 2
  Dig a trench around the garden bed with a shovel. Make the trench approximately 4 to 6 inches deep. The trench's width depends on the type of edging being used. If you are using plastic edging, the trench only needs to be about 2 inches wide. If you are using a paver or stones, measure their width and make the trench slightly wider, so the paver or stone will easily fit inside.
- 3
  Set a level inside the trench in a handful of areas. Add or remove dirt to create a level base. Spread a 1-inch-thick layer of leveling sand into the trench with a garden rake. If you are installing plastic edging, skip this step.
- 4
  Set the edging into the trench, with the edging's front surface pressed against the trench's outer side. If you are laying bricks or stones, lay a level on them after you have set a few in the trench. Hit any raised ends with a rubber mallet to level out the surface. If you are installing plastic edging, push it into the trench until only one-third of the upper circle is above ground level. Hammer edging stakes into the ground, through the edging's stake loops, to hold the edging in place.
- 5
  Pack soil against the edging's back surface to fill any gaps in the trench.

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