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limerick_lori

Sod Cutting, Rototilling, Etc.

limerick_lori
17 years ago

Hi all! This is my very first post on these forums, after several weeks of "lurking." It seems to be a very nice community here!

Anyway, my husband and I moved into a single home last summer with a 38 foot long deck in the backyard. I would like to create some planting beds around the perimeter of the deck. Right now, the back lawn goes right up to the sides of the deck, and it's very difficult to mow and/or weedwhack without chipping the paint off the sides of the deck.

My question is this: should I rent a gas sodcutter and take up the sod first, then rent a rototiller to mix up the soil underneath?

Or could I get away with just renting the rototiller, taking everything up at once, then treat the area with weed/grass killer and lay some weedblock material?

Eventually I would like to plant some shrubs and flowers in these beds. The cost of the gas sodcutter is $275/day, and I just don't think I want to pay that much. The rototiller is only around $100/day.

Conversely, I know I could do the sodcutting by hand with a shovel, but that's HARD work and the area is pretty large.

Ideas? Thanks!

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