Yes you can do it with a spade, I'm moving turves around all the time, changing the layout of the garden, but removing 2-3 ft wide I presume you mean, depending on the length of the borders it will take a lot of hard work. I cut to a depth of around 25 -30 cm and cut strips the width of the spade and cut into the strips the length of the spade, remove slicing under the turf horizontally.

thanks for your prompt reply dido, yes i did mean 2-3 foot wide, i shall have a go if it stops raining ! thanks again

Don't forget to stack the turf some where out of the way, grass to grass and soil to soil so you end up with a nice mound of very good top soil.

Hi Lemondrop, I do it more or less the same way, I mark out the shape I want to achieve, and then slice through the turf, either with a spade or turf cutter/edger, then I go all the way along the turf and mark it out into smaller pieces and horizontaly lift it up leaving as much soil as possible for the border plants, I then move the turfs to fill in gaps where the duck drinkers have overflowed and left a hole. I saw a lovely seating area made out of turfs on this websit somewhere last week. Will see if I can find it and let you know where it is.

Although messier, it will be a good deal easier to do while wet! Good luck

Sorry have had a quick look and haven't found it, what they did with the turf was make a round mound with upside down turf then a lower seating edge mound/circle all the way around the centre mound with upside down turf and then they laid turfs the right way up to make a grass seated area, not very good at explaining it but it looked great. lol, knowing me it might not even have been on this web site. (old age taking over) lol.

I agree Di it is much much easier when wet.

i think i've seen a turf edger in the garden centre , thats a good idea a seating area made out of turf oliveoil i'm curious to see what that looks like ! thanks for your advice owdboggy thats good to know.My garden has been used as a football pitch and playground for quite a few years,now they are teenagers i'm trying to transform it i've got a long way to go and will be asking lots of questions on the way ! thanks again to you all for your good advice.

Got me at it now with the seat, shame you can't find it B

I will keep looking guys I will find it I will

The hard work begins when you have removed the turf. You will need to dig over the exposed soil and remove any weed roots, unless your grass was pure lawn grass with no dandelions etc. in it.
Then you will need to get some soil food into it. Unless you have spent years feeding the grass, it will be sverely malnourished.
Also since you are removing the top 2 inches or so of soil where the most bacteriological activity takes place in a soil then you will have to replace that top soil with some form of humus, well rotted manure, compost, clean top soil, whatever.
Digging might be hard as the soil could well be compacted afer years of been trampled over.
Have fun. Been there, done that.

thanks owdboggy more imformative than looking in a gardening book ! sounds like a lot of hard work but i'm determined thanks again

Forgot to add, better to use a garden fork if the soil is compacted, than a spade.
Just to give you some encouragement, the last bed I made from an area of 'grass' was about 20 metres long by 10 metres wide. Found the foundations of an old outside toilet under the grass which had to be removed, as well as a rubbish pit full of broken glass. Plus enough broken house bricks to fill a small skip, hope your area is a bit cleaner.

The turf seat is in December's issue of Gardener's World, Oliveoil...or was it November? One or t'other! I cannot check now but will!

Oh thanks for that Izzy I have searched the gardening pictures most of the evening, that is where it was, yes, thank you again. Senility strikes again lol. now if only I can remember where I put the magazine. lol.

Yes I too saw it Olive but I couldnt help thinking it would sink? I did think it would be fun in a party garden made to look like a cake!
If you are going to stand on your lawn while making a bigger bed you might want to stand on a plank or something to protect the lawn you want to keep so it looks ok for the rest of the winter.

Hmmm, I didn't think of the possibilty of sinking!
:-/

I thought it would make a good plant stand or to cover with cammomile plants or something similar and use as a feature rather than a seat, it certainly would give way with my weight sat on it lol. I bet Noseypotter could make something out of his sculpture materials on the same lines for a seat.
Anyone interested it is on page 47 of November issue of Gardeners World magazine. I found it Izzy!!

I removed a load of turves..... well field grass, and created a life size lion. supported his head with a frame of wire and wood. But unfortunately some varment moved between his paws and chest area, and he started to collapse. So he was removed and replaced with the shrubbery border.
But now i'm making a haligan head type thingy out of border widening.

http://picasaweb.google.com/backyardacres/July2006#5086810726882953538

http://picasaweb.google.com/backyardacres/WalnutBed#5527129287564726722

Thanks for those two links have had a look, goodness you have been busy, very artistic

oh I wish! The right shoulder and left elbow have just given out on me, so lots outside on hold for the min:-(, But I'll let you into a secret, I can't be bothered to barrow loads of turves to hubby's designated dumping area 150 yds up a slope, so I use it to design with near the point of change ;-).