Creating new flower bed on lawn

newbie77

In my previous garden i created a small new bed by digging up lawn and pile up dug over turf in a hidden corner. Fill up the new bed with compost(used and new) and plant. There was one problem though, the bed sunk over time as compost compacted and used to get waterlogged. may be I should have filled a lot more compost than just leveling up with lawn or may be used a better method... 

Anyway in new garden, firstly it is going to be a very long bed, 100ft x 6ft with some cureved areas wider than 6ft, so quite some digging and i dont have enough space to hide dug up turf. I cant really buy enough compost to pile much higher than current lawn level. I tired digging up an area and grass root+soil was almost 6-10 inch thick. 

Can I lay cardboard on lawn on turf and just cover with compost and plant on top? Can I dig up turf, lay it soil side up and turf side down in the dug up area and cover with layer of compost and plant? I cant buy sleepers or any edging material to create raised bed.

Fairygirl

I'd be inclined to do a combination of the two ideas you have. Lift, and turn over the turf, then lay cardboard on top. Cover with a layer of compost/rotted manure, and leave until spring. 
That way, you get rid of the turf, the winter weather and the cardboard/compost layer will do their thing without you needing to do anything more, and the level should be reasonably good for planting as it will have settled nicely. 

Loxley

The laziest and probably most effective way would be to glyphosate the beds and then plant into them in spring.

jenny794

Turning the turf does work well as long as you then bury it with some topsoil/compost. You can buy lorry loads of topsoil to fill the bed. It is much much cheaper than compost. Check out the supply first as it has different grades and differing amounts of stones or gravel in it. 

Fairygirl

No need to bury the turf.
A basic layer of organic material is sufficient, and  some extra when each plant goes in. I've done it in every garden I've had.
You can minimise the grass growth by scalping it with a lawnmower first too.