I totally agree - try to avoid the chemicals if you can. I have a third suggestion if you want to plant now. Go to a rental place and rent a sod cutter for a day and just slice the grass off. It works surprisingly well - you just push by hand like a push mower (I even have a bad back and it wasn't too bad). A neighbor and we did it and shared it over a weekend and it was great. Dig in some mulch, etc and vola you have yourself a garden bed. Beats plain old digging up the grass - I've done that too...
Liz Greenbaum Longfellow Mark Snyder <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >On 7/21/03 5:38 PM, "Chris Johnson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >> My advice would be to use an herbicide like Round-up (glycophosphate) on >> the area first to kill everything. >I agree with most of what Chris said except here. I personally wouldn't want >to use something like Round-up on a boulevard because if it does rain, it is >gonna go straight into the storm sewers. Since meteorology in MN is largely >a crapshoot, you can't count on the local weather report for much. > >I think a better approach would be to mow down the grass as short as >possible, keep doing this for several weeks to burn it out, and then smother >with lots of mulch (about 4" at least) over the winter if possible. > >Then you can spend some time thinking and researching about what you want, >plant in spring and use the mulch around whatever you plant. > >I'd also recommend coming up to NE Minneapolis and checking out the >boulevard gardens around here for ideas on what to plant. There are tons of >them! Audubon Park, just north of me, seems to be a particularly rich >treasure trove of boulevard gardens. > >Lastly, make sure to check the city boulevard planting ordinance so all your >hard work doesn't go for naught at the hands of a nitpicky inspector. You >can download a PDF copy from the "Blooming Boulevards" web page: >http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/citywork/planning/sections/cue/blooming.asp > >Mark Snyder >Windom Park > > >TEMPORARY REMINDER: >1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. >2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject >(Mpls-specific, of course.) > >________________________________ > >Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy >Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] >Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls > __________________________________________________________________ McAfee VirusScan Online from the Netscape Network. Comprehensive protection for your entire computer. Get your free trial today! http://channels.netscape.com/ns/computing/mcafee/index.jsp?promo=393397 Get AOL Instant Messenger 5.1 free of charge. Download Now! http://aim.aol.com/aimnew/Aim/register.adp?promo=380455 TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.) ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
