I removed my grass and layed down fresh top soil. I had tons of weeds come up at first. Make sure you put down preen on the fresh soil to keep the weeds away.

If you want to use the old stuff too, just rototill it really well and you should be fine…make sure you remove the large twigs.

Good Luck..

Till and do a soil test, You can buy testing kits at any garden supply store. Happy growing!

What you should do is remove the grass with a sod cutter(if there is any) , then roto-till it with a machine from a rental yard. Then use metal rakes to rake out everything you can(old roots leaves) , and whatever and most importantly anythingthing green , grass weeds etcetera. Spray round up good on it and give it a day Then you would want to level the yard as best as you can(allow for drainage). Then you are ready. You should never replace the dirt. If you want , you could add in a couple of bags of planting mix to richen it up a litttle. Good luck.

hello! If you are looking to an organic garden DO NOT spray round up…heck, even if you’re not looking for organic.. I still wouldn’t use it. ANYHOW!! If you till all that organic matter right into the soil, you should be OK, unless there is truly an excessive amount (piles upon piles). You can get a soil test, a lot of local nurseries offer free tests during spring (to encourage purchasing of ’stuff’) , just depends on what you feel like doing..I didn’t get a soil test and my stuff grew just fine. As far as grass and weeds go, just be sure you mulch around what you plant to inhibit what you don’t want growing there. Below the mulch….straw being GREAT for veggie gardens…you can put newspaper 3-4 pages thick, that will also keep out weeds and grass. Just make sure your seedlings are exposed as they need the sunlight. Keep nice and moist and all should be well. Good luck!! Be sure to reference LOTS of local guides for plant specific info!!