need to kill a section of grass for a garden bed

roundup will kill it. it will not linger once it kills the grass. roundup only works via photosynthesis. just carefully spray the area

Ron Strahan says for instances like that, get you a paintbrush and "paint" the roundup on the actual grass or weeds.

If you want to go chemical free, you could spread a covering of dry hay over the area you intend to convert into a garden and then burn it. It will burn the hay and the grass below, effectively killing it.

If you go that route, try to purchase some old hay from someone who was unable to sell last year's hay. It should be dry enough to accomplish the task. I've done this before on a larger patch of ground to clear it out for planting turf grass.

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the area is up against the house

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Then roundup or the generic version of it is your best bet.

Cardboard, compost, and grass clippings. Get the book, "Lasagna Gardening" by Patricia Lanza.

ETA: That might sound like a Chaz garden, but it isn't when done properly.

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Half vinegar half water. Spray it. Three days later spray again.

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Acetic Acid needs to be somewhere around 20% in order to effectively kill plants. Diluting vinegar? Which would be somewhere around 4%, isn't going to cut it.

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Acetic Acid needs to be somewhere around 20% in order to effectively kill plants.

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That’s going to mess with your soil pH. Just use glycophosphate. It’s not rocket science.

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I worry about using chemicals that will hurt the plants.

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not a problem after 24 hrs. I've sprayed grass many times and planted fruit, vegetables, and grass seeds the next day with no problems. the chemicals absorb quickly and what doesn't absorb evaporates. absolutely nothing to worry about.

if you want to be extra sure, use weed killer, wait a day, then soak with water. whatever might be left will be so diluted it wouldn't pose a threat. win win bc it will help the seeds also.

This is what worked for me. During winter, i raked all the leaves onto the section of grass i want to kill and covered it with plastic.

By Feb end, i had a perfect garden bed with lot of worms and dead grass.

I'm going to do the same again this year to create more landscaping beds along my fence lines.

I used a weed and brush killer, a little stronger than roundup. Spray it on, give it three days, and till it up. May have to spray again after a week or two, but it took care of clearing a large overgrown area I wanted my garden a few years ago.