1. Mow the lawn as short as possible.
2. Top the area with 12 inches of small wood chips or chipped/shredded tree limbs.
In a few weeks, you should have soil suitable for planting something other than a lawn. Preferably, putting in plants that are a lot less work, are edible and/or use less water, fertilizer and pesticides.
According to Washington State University Horticulture professor Linda Chalker-Scott:
"Double digging the soil 12 inches isn't necessary," explains Chalker-Scott on her blogsite, The Garden Professors. She goes on: "Double digging the soil 12 inches destroys soils structure...Sheet mulches impede water and air movement. They're not needed to keep the grass from growing through. Wood chips do this just fine on their own. And don't worry about that initial 12 inches of chips. Within a few weeks it will settle to about 8 inches. Let it sit for several weeks. Then pull aside some of the chips and take a look. If the process is done, the grass and/or weeds will be dead and decomposing - a natural compost layer. You can then plant whatever you like. Reuse the chips somewhere else in your garden."
This is not an inexpensive process, costing about $1.30 per square foot of lawn area you want to cover. For a 12-inch layer of small bark to cover 100 square feet, you would need four cubic yards of bark. In our area, that would cost you about $130, plus taxes and delivery. And that's just to cover 100 square feet!
I would be inclined to leave that mulch in place for several months, if not a full year, to make sure the lawn is dead.
Other reasons to leave that mulch on as long as possible: those small wood chips/chipped-shredded tree limbs are slowly breaking down, feeding the soil, improving the tilth (a healthy combination of nutrient-rich soil and air pores) and increasing microbial activity in the growing zone. Plus, it isn't bad to look at, either.
There is another down side to this process: 12 inches?!? That's one hell of a first step UP to your former lawn. And then your shoes get buried.
Other ways to kill a lawn: soil solarization (limited to use during the summer); and, America's most popular method to kill unwanted plants: applying glyphosate (aka Roundup). But the more you read about glyphosate, using non-chemical means to rid yourself of a lawn looks better and better.
There is another down side to this process: 12 inches?!? That's one hell of a first step UP to your former lawn. And then your shoes get buried.
Other ways to kill a lawn: soil solarization (limited to use during the summer); and, America's most popular method to kill unwanted plants: applying glyphosate (aka Roundup). But the more you read about glyphosate, using non-chemical means to rid yourself of a lawn looks better and better.
No matter which lawn-killing process you use, remember Farmer Fred Rule #7: Bermudagrass is forever.
