Grass Removal

Hello All, I have a question...
I have moved back into my Dad's house (with all my family) after being on our own for about seven years. Now, all my flowerbeds and what not have been neglected/abused (one had a dog chained on it for his run for a year) and I am very slowly reclaiming them, but the 'crescent' in the driveway is totally overrun with grass, and about four types of mint (which I planted before I left). Now, I want to keep the mint, and other things that remain in there, but get rid of the grass. Anyone have any good ideas? I'm even open to a herbicide, if one exists that will only kill grass. If I can get rid of the grass in there, I can move on to the monarda patch on the other side of the drive...

Thank you in advance,
Cedar

If I were you, I'd pull up enough mint to give you some good-size plugs, and pot them up. Cut the grass, give it a few days to start growing vigorously and spray with Roundup. Let it sit a few days, spray again if any more green appears once the tan color becomes fairly consistent.

Then you can cover with a thick layer of newspaper, spread some compost/potting soil, and you'll have great beds to work in.

I'd skip the Roundup (because I believe herbicides cause great global damage, even if not in our yards where we sprayed them) and then do as Terry suggests: layers of newspapers (I use 6-8 thickneses) and pretty soon I have great beds, and no grass. I must admit, a few sprigs of grass managed to survive the newspaper/mulch layer, but they are easy enough to dig out. Plus, the newspaper/mulch layer has really made the beds fertile for new plants, where it was hard clay before.

This is the time to cover the existing grass that is to be removed. By spring the grass will be gone, and the area will be fertile and ready to plant. I have removed grass the same way as darius, with equal success. Easy and organic.

I agree with Terry's suggestion, the Roundup will quickly dissapte through the soil. Newpapers and mulch works great.

Paul

i once read that if you put a layer of 1/4 inch cardboard over the grass and then cover the cardboard with dirt you will have a grass free bed in the spring and then you can till whats left of the cardboard into the soil.

Cover with clear plastic---it does more than black. 1 to 2 months and your soil to be good from 6-12 inches. The varance depends on time of year etc. Everything in that range will be dead.

Plant away and add compost to restart the life in the soil!
Olds

Oldman, I have done the clear plastic in my veggie garden. Works absolutely perfectly! It eliminates all living things (including fungal disease spores) in the soil for at least 6" deep. But up here in the north, it only works during the hot summer months -- there just isn't enough sun and heat from Oct til May.

I also used the newspaper method to create a new shrub border in the fall a few years ago. I planted the new shrubs, just digging the spaces for them, then I overlapped sections of newspaper on top of the grass. I put a layer of mulch on top to hold down the newspaper. The only grass or weeds that have come since then have been from seed blown in. And the soil was so rich and easy to dig the following spring!

My real reason for objecting to Roundup is the thought of Monsanto receiving any profits at all from any product. With their vision of total dominance in the agriculture industry worldwide, I, for one, will not donate a penny.

golddog, I heartily agree about Monsanto!