We’re going to build some raised beds, out of rendered blockwork.

This will involved digging out the footings for the walls and storing the soil somewhere for a bit…

If I leave it all on a tarp on the lawn, how long have I got until the grass dies?

About 30 seconds. Better be quick.

Alternatively, our oversize family mansion tent can suffocate the grass on a campsite for a week solid and it’s a bit yellow underneath afterwards but it recovers pretty quickly.

I’d say around 2-4 weeks. I prefer to get a load of sacks (lots of businesses throw these away, I get mine from a local distillery) and half fill with soil. Use an old bucket with the bottom cut out, put it in the sack, fill, remove bucket. You can then move the soil around to store it, they stack pretty well. When you want to re-use it just tip the sack into the hole. Easier than digging it again.

This will involved digging out the footings for the walls and storing the soil somewhere for a bit…

Just dig another hole and put it in there.

Grass dies in a few days because it suffocates. A lot of camp sites now ban impermeable grounsheets for this reason. If you have one that isn’t airtight then the grass lasts far longer.

Old Vauxhalls are like kyptonite for grass. If you put them up on concrete blocks and take the wheels off, the grass underneath dies, but the surrounding grass takes on superpowers and will grow six feet tall. You just need to find the optimal distance and you’re set.

Cheers, the tarp I have is pretty old, so I doubt it’s impermeable, but should be good for soil.

Sacks are a good idea. We had bunch but got rid of them as “we won’t have a need for them now we’ve finished the garden” (obviously the garden is never finished, don’t throw away your sacks…). I’ll see if I can source some locally.

i had a similar requirement and just piled the earth into the middle of where the ‘planter’ was going to sit. is that an option?

Cheers, the tarp I have is pretty old, so I doubt it’s impermeable, but should be good for soil.

You’re then burying it under weight though.

Have you considered going for a walk with socks down your trousers?

It’ll grow back after a week or so of covering. Just because the above ground bits look a bit dead it doesn’t mean the plant is dead. See also people worrying about it going a bit dry in the summer and watering it all the time.

i had a similar requirement and just piled the earth into the middle of where the ‘planter’ was going to sit. is that an option?

It’s going to be fairly narrow, so some of it definitely, but probably not all of it.

The rest of it can go on the tarp on the grass and we’ll hope for the best.

Snitches get stiches.

Snitches get stiches.

Took me a moment…..