How to Dig a Border in the Lawn

A lawn border around the yard helps accomplish two things: It defines the ending of the green space with regards to other areas such as paths or driveways, and it creates a tidy well-kept appearance to the property. The first thing you need to do when creating lawn edging is to create the boundary that the border will take; to do this you will need to dig a border into the lawn.

Determine where you will create a border for the lawn. Decide where you want the lawn border to be, if any corners should be rounded off and if you are incorporating any landscaping within the border area.

Set a stake at one end, where the lawn border will begin. Put another stake at the other end, or first corner or turn. Continue placing stakes along the lines of the border, setting one stake at each corner; if you are rounding lawn edging set stakes close enough where you can create the curve with the string in the next step.

Tie the string to the first stake. Pull the string tight and walk to the next stake. Tie the string to the second stake; if you are continuing on past the stake, wrap the string around the stake instead and continue on. Work the string through the border when creating a border, making sure the string is tight. Tie off the string at the final stake. This should give you a good idea of what the border will look like. Adjust the string and stakes as needed until you achieve the desired positioning for the border before digging.

Decide what type of material you are using with the lawn border. Bricks will require thicker borders than plastic lawn edging, which will require thicker borders than garden fencing or wire. Use the measuring tape to take a measurement of the material height. This will help determine the depth of the dug out border. Using this measurement will help you calculate how deep the material must be to remain stable in the ground; bricks, for example, are usually planted half way into the ground, while plastic garden borders only need a couple of inches to remain erect above ground.

Water the ground along the border if you are digging up grass, compacted soil or clay. If this is not the case, skip this step.

Use the shovel at a 45-degree angle to dig into the soil along the string line when creating a border. Place the dug-up soil into the wheelbarrow for later use. Follow the string around the border, remembering to keep on the same side of the string the entire length of the border.

Put the level at the bottom of the trench to check for an even line. Continue checking along the trench every 2 feet to make sure the trench remains level. Add or remove dirt from the wheelbarrow as needed.

Remove the string and stakes. Install the border material. Set the level on top of the material to check for evenness if this is important.

Things You'll Need

* Stakes (metal or wood)
* String
* Shovel
* Wheelbarrow
* Measuring tape
* Level
* Border material