9 Ways To Get Rid of Grass In Vegetable Garden Beds

How to get rid of grass in vegetable garden beds is one of the biggest struggle gardeners can face.  Lets take a look at some of the best ways to beat unwanted grass and weed growth in your garden beds.

How to Get Rid Of Grass in Vegetable Garden Beds

While lawns can be beautiful they aren’t that beneficial, compared to vegetable plants in a garden bed. The first step in having a successful garden is to get rid of unwanted grass and weed growth. 

Jump to How to Get Rid of Grass in Vegetable Garden Beds, 9 Ways

Turn Your Lawn Into Garden Beds

First time garden beds can be a success with a good plan in place.  You’ll need to know where to plant your garden, what type of garden beds you want,  what you will grow, and how to get rid of grass in vegetable garden beds.

Choosing the Best Vegetable Garden Location

Location, location, location. You’ll want your garden in an area that gets full sun. It is a good idea to have your garden area somewhat close to the house, where you see it often.  

This makes it easier to maintain or run out for a quick harvest. Also be sure that your garden beds are close to a water source. 

The Problem With Grass in the Garden Area

​Unwanted grass can be a real problem in garden beds.  Grass can easily take over, starving your vegetable plants of nutrients they need.

Should I Remove Grass or Cover It Up?

Knowing how to get rid of grass in vegetable garden beds is a skill every gardener must tackle. Or should you remove it? Will your gardening style allow you to cover it up with a heavy layer of carboard and compost?

What Kind of Grass Do You Have? 

When deciding how to get rid of grass in vegetable garden beds, you should first find out what type of grass you have.  Is it a grass like fescue that is easily smothered by being covered up?  

Or is it the dreaded crab grass that will run into your garden beds if it’s not removed?  Unfortunately, I have crab grass in my garden.  

Or Do You Have Weeds?

Not only is the type of grass important but also is it full of weeds and weed seeds?  Many home gardeners regret not removing or smothering unwanted grass and annual weeds properly.

Will You Grow in Raised Beds or a Traditional Row Garden?

Another thing to take into consideration is how will you garden?  With a raised bed, you may be able to get away with smothering the grass with heavy cardboard sheet mulching, as long as it’s not crab grass. Whereas a traditional row garden may require lawn grass be removed before forming your garden beds. 

When to Get Rid of Grass for Vegetable Garden Beds

The sooner you remove grass the better.  If you can get a jumpstart on it during the fall and winter season it will make the early spring garden season much easier.

At the very minimum I recommend putting a tarp over the area you’d like to garden in as soon as possible.  Tarping an area for 4-6 weeks is like magic. 

How to Get Rid Of Grass in Vegetable Garden Beds (And Weeds)

There are plenty of attack methods when it comes to getting rid if unwanted grass in the vegetable garden.  All work well. Some require a lot of work, some a lot of time, and some require special tools.

What works for some home gardeners may not work for others, as we are all in different situations with different needs. Let’s jump in. 

Manually Remove Grass With Hand Tools & Muscle

While this method will take a lot of work and time, the more thorough you are the better off you’ll be. Start with small sections and a good shovel.  Once you get under the grass to the top of the soil you can remove the grass or flip it. As long as it’s not crab grass and not full of seed heads or weed seeds. 

Flipping the grass and letting it decompose will naturally feed your soil, as grass clippings are high in nitrogen. The dead grass is also an organic material that will add to the soil structure, which is a good thing.  

Use a Sod Cutter

Using a sod cutter is another method of removing grass that works well but obviously requires a sod cutter.  If you don’t own one you could possibly rent one form your local hardware store.  This is a more expensive way to remove unwanted grass for your garden area.  

On the other hand, it could be a little less labor intensive compared to digging the grass out with a shovel.  After cutting you still have to either remove it or flip it and use the decomposing organic matter to feed the soil. Just be sure its not crab grass or full of seed heads or weed seeds.

Till Under Unwanted Grass

Another method of getting rid of a grassy area is to till it. This option may also be good for a large area but a little expensive as you either have to buy, rent, or borrow a tiller.  If you are planning to use the unwanted grass as organic matter anyways tilling it under may be a good choice, if it’s not crab grass. 

While I’m not normally a fan of tilling, as over tilling can destroy the soil structure and kill beneficial life in it, tilling once in the beginning to get rid of unwanted grass and break ground for a garden area I can agree with. Once you have the area tilled, I’d recommend removing any large grass roots. 

Put Small Livestock in the Garden Area

Once you have decided on where the new garden area will be, fence it off and put some livestock in there such as chickens or even small pigs.  Chickens will do a great job of clearing out the unwanted grass, scratching through the grass for their feed.  

While this method make take more than just a weekend worth of work, your new garden area will be fertilized with chicken manure in the process.  

If you are really adventurous and are working on a large area, you could use a couple of small pigs. They will till soil by rooting out unwanted grass in no time.  Just be sure to have a secure area to move them to when they are done tilling the garden area. 

Soil Solarization Method With A Clear Plastic Tarp 

Soil Solarization is using direct sunlight to kill weeds seeds, unwanted grass, and disease in the soil.  Once you have the new vegetable garden area picked out, you put a clear plastic tarp over the area.

Secure the edges by burying them. This will not only keep the clear plastic tarp in place but also trap the heat from the direct sunlight inside which is what you need to kill the existing grass and weed seeds. 

This method works best during the hottest part pf the year and takes time. Ideally, you’d want to leave the tarp in place for 2-4 weeks.  This could be done in the summer for a new vegetable garden bed in the fall.  

Soil Solarization can be done alone or as an added benefit after you have tilled, used a sod cutter, or manually removed unwanted grass.  It will further the process by killing any seeds left behind.  You can purchase large rolls of clear plastic at your local big box hardware stores. 

Herbicide & Glyphosate

While you could use herbicides, like glyphosate, I personally don’t recommend it.  It is known to be a persistent herbicide and can stay in the soil for years harming your plants and destroying the soil quality.

It is non selective and systemic, meaning the active ingredient will kill any plant it comes into contact with by being absorbed through the foliage, down the stem, killing the root systems.  This is not the way you want to go in your new vegetable garden. 

Organic Weed Killers and Grass Control

There are some natural ways for organic grass and weed control that are effective. I have found they work best on small, new weeds or grasses that are not well established.  It is best to spray these in direct sunlight, when the unwanted grass and weeds are dry, as moisture will dilute the spray.  

For best results, it is recommended to spray several times.  Just like most chemical herbicides, these sprays are systemic and non selective, meaning they will kill most plants if sprayed enough.  

Vinegar Weed Killer Method

To make this organic weed and grass killer mix 1 part 5% Vinegar to 1 part water.  You can also add dish soap which will help it adhere to the plant foliage. 

Using a spray bottle, spray this on a dry sunny day for best results.   Again, this has the potential to kill any plant but works best on young plants that are not well established. 

Dr. Earths Weed and Grass Killer

This is an OMRI listed spray made with essential oils.  It is something that I keep in my arsenal for weed control in my vegetable garden beds.  Just like the vinegar spray you have to be cautious where you spray it, as it will kill vegetable plant and flowers as well.

Dr. Earths Final Stop Weed and Grass Killer works best on new, smaller weeds and unwanted grass that is creeping into your new vegetable garden. 

What Can I Use to Kill Unwanted Grass, but Not My Vegetables?

Although this may seem like a lot of work, pulling grass out of vegetable beds by hand or with small garden tools is the safest way to ensure you get the unwanted grass and weeds out with out killing your new plants. You may find you have to do this throughout the growing season. 

Get Rid of Grass in Vegetable Garden By Smothering

Another tried and true, effective way of controlling and killing unwanted grass and weed seeds is smothering.  The smothering method can be done several different ways. All are effective and may just depend on what materials you have on hand.  

Methods of Smothering & Killing Grass in Place 

There are many ways to smother a garden. Let’s break down the options for smothering when it comes to deciding to use Bark Vs Mulch in the Vegetable Garden.

• Deep Mulch With Organic  Mulch Material-  Organic mulch material can be a thick 4-6 inch layer of straw, leaves, grass clippings, a thick layer of compost, or fine shredded mulch to smother out grass and weeds. 
• Sheet Mulching With Cardboard or Layers of Newspaper- Sheet mulching with thick, heavy cardboard can be very effective in smothering out unwanted grass. Sheet mulch material can be carboard or sheets of newspaper, covered in deep mulch. Go thick if you want layers of newspaper to be an effective way to keep unwanted grass at bay. 
• Weed Barrier & Landscape Fabric- Quality landscape fabric is a great way to smother weeds. It can also be left in place and planted into.
• Tarps- Tarping an area is effective in killing unwarted grass.  Plan ahead and leave it tarped for 4-6 weeks.

Your New Garden Area Is Cleared Out. Now What?

You may be wondering what is the best way to maintain the new garden area now that you have an idea on how to get rid of grass in vegetable garden beds.

If I were to start another garden, my plan of action would be to first till the area, remove any large grass roots, and cover it with clear plastic to solarize it killing any grass or weed seeds. 

Once that is done install a couple raised beds, and add some traditional in ground rows.  At that point, sheet mulch with thick cardboard, cover in finely shredded mulch and then selectively plant living ground cover where its needed the most.

This would be an effective way to control grass and weeds on the long term in your new vegetable garden. 

Living Ground Cover

Finding hardy, native plants to use as ground cover once your garden area is cleared out is a great way to control unwanted grass from coming back. Some living ground covers to consider are:

• Perennial Peanut
• Asiatic Jasmine
• Powderpuff Mimosa
• Periwinkle
• Oregano
• Creeping Jenny
• French Sorrel
• Sweet Potato

Back to Eden Gardening Style

The main component of Back to Eden gardening is the use of a deep layer of wood chips as mulch. The wood chips serve multiple purposes, such as suppressing weeds, retaining moisture, regulating soil temperature, and providing a habitat for beneficial organisms. The mulch breaks down over time, contributing organic matter to the soil. 

While this can help build soil structure over time. I’d like to give you a word of caution on wood chips. Wood chips are full of carbon.  

When a soil amendment is added that is full of carbon it uses up available nitrogen in the soil in order to break down.  If available nitrogen in the soil is being used up by thick wood chips your vegetable plants may not have enough nitrogen.

I have seen this to be common in new vegetable gardens that are Back To Eden style.   Starting out with finely shredded, or triple shredded mulch may be a better choice when starting a new vegetable garden. Overtime, once the Back to Eden system starts to beak down, available nitrogen shouldn’t be a problem.

What About Soil Testing a New Garden Area

Its always a good idea to do at least do a NPK soil test in any new vegetable garden or periodically in an established garden.  Knowing what your soil is lacking or not lacking will help you decide if any soil amendments are needed.  

Beyond the basic NPK test (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium), a more thorough test can be done by sending a soil sample off to lab.  These are more thorough and test for trace minerals also. 

Restore Your Soil and Control Unwanted Grass by Using Cover Crops

Using a cover crop in between gardening seasons is a great way to keep unwanted grass and weeds out of your garden area. Not only will a cover crop keep unwanted grass away they will also help build your soil. 

What is a Cover Crop

Cover crops, also known as green manure, are plants grown to cover and protect the soil rather than for harvest. They offer many benefits such as preventing soil erosion, suppressing weeds, adding organic matter to the soil, and enhancing nutrient availability.

The choice of cover crops depends on the specific goals of the gardener or farmer, as different cover crops provide different benefits. 

​A Cover Crop As a Nitrogen Fixer

Many cover crops, like legumes, are nitrogen fixers, meaning their roots store nitrogen. You can then use the cover crop as a “chop and drop” plant, leaving the roots in the ground, adding nitrogen and organic matter.  

The “chop and drop” portion of the cover crop adds a ground cover to keep weeds and unwanted grass at bay and organic matter to the soil as it slowly breaks down.  

It can be left in place to plant vegetable plants directly into. Some home gardeners may even choose to till in the organic matter. 

Some Examples of a Cover Crop:

• Legumes
• Clover
• Sun Hemp
• Peas
• Winter Rye
• Rye Grass
• Radish
• Mustards
• Fava Beans
• Hairy Vetch

When selecting a cover crop, you’ll want to consider things like climate, soil type, and what nutrients or organic matter your garden area may need. It’s a good idea to use a mix of cover crops to maximize the benefits they can provide to your garden area.

Just be sure to terminate your cover crop before it goes to seed that way you aren’t adding those seeds to your soil. This will ensure that the cover crop contributes positively to your new vegetable garden soil health and fertility.

How To Get Rid Of Grass In Vegetable Garden Beds

As you can see, there are many different methods on how to get rid of grass in vegetable garden beds. Research which method may be more practical for your situation, make a plan and get busy creating your new vegetable garden!

If you’d like, you can join us over on the podcast to chat how to get rid of grass in vegetable garden beds and growing more food and not lawns.

Happy Homesteading & Gardening

Jenny @ The GrahamStead Family Farm

Jenny and her family have been homesteading for over 20 years. They are currently farming on their 10 acre Florida farm, that they built from the ground up, 8 years ago, growing 100% of their meat and a lot of their vegetables. From their small herd of Aberdeen Angus Cattle, Pastured Poultry, Sheep, and seasonal pigs, they are able to raise enough meat for the family while selling extra to the community. All the while, striving to butcher at home, as much as possible, and use the bits and pieces of their harvest by preserving food, making bone broth, and (Jenny’s favorite) tanning all kinds of hides!