What is the best way to kill grass in a flower bed without it coming back or ruining the soil?

My fiance and I are wanting to redo his flower beds but they are badly overgown with grass how do I get rid of the grass without runing the soil and how long do I have to wait before we can plant anything once we kill the grass?

What is the best way to kill grass in a flower bed without it coming back or ruining the soil?
Use a rototiller and turn all of the grass under. Cover the garden with cedar bark mulch.
Reply:Spray it with Roundup.
Reply:Go to the garden center and get a scuffle hoe. It looks like a metal stirrup and the edges are honed but not sharp enough to cut you if you touch them. You "scuffle" it back and forth on the ground and the blade cuts down the grass/weeds just below the surface. It takes almost no time and you can plant right away because there are no toxins involved.





Here's what it looks like





http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00002...
Reply:till the ground and get all of the grass roots out...do not use a grass killer...
Reply:Cover with black discard PVC or cartoon.Staving the weed without sunlight will kill the weed without u lifting a finger and the dead weed will give a mulch effect and feed the plant.It is like killing 2 birds with one stone
Reply:Do not till the area. That will only expose more weed seed that is buried deeply, and you will have the same issue.





Use a non selective herbicide such as Roundup to kill all of the vegetation. When all of the weeds and grass have died, bring in some new topsoil and just pile it on top of the dead grass. Then add a weed prevention product like Preen to prevent new weed seed from germinating. Then add your new plants and mulch.
Reply:just use roundup. that'll kill anything including weeds. round up becomes inert once used meaning it does not harm the soil. go ahead and plant your flowers after grass is dead and tilled under. once the flowers are established lay down some Preen. This is a weed preventer not killer and safe to use around flowers. Mulch on top of the Preen then sprinkle some more Preen on top of the mulch. You should have a beautiful weed free garden then.
Reply:roundup will work has no soil activity but i would still wait a day. Buy a roto tiller i recommend the mantis. after planting the flowers use lots of mulch or compost to prevent weed and grass (which are weeds to some people) from appearing later in the year since the seeds in the soil will be shaded out.
Reply:Cover the area with a black tarp for about 2 weeks. The sun will naturally "cook" and kill the grass. After then, turn over the soil, remove dead roots etc, add gardening soil or compost, turn over again and plant away.





Does the same thing as Round Up in the same amount of time and you are not using chemicals.
Reply:cover it with black plastic for a week or two, or until the grass is dead. then till it under. you can plant right away.
Reply:You can fire the grass
Reply:Pull it up by the root. Tucker
Reply:pulling the grass up passes the time even on a nice day