Cheryl, I agree with your plans. Tarp is the best method. It's an environmentally correct way to kill off the grass. One thing to consider before adding your mulch is to determine if you have clay soil - because if so, you'd probably want to prepare the area so you won't have a muddy pit. Like adding screenings and a layer of landscape fabric before topping with fine mulch cover.

Ianna

When the grass starts coming up through the mulch, remember Round-up.

With all due respect, there are better ways... :-(

(and for most applications, Roundup is illegal to use in Toronto anyway)

(even if they still sell it everywhere - you can only use it in specific cases, mostly to "destroy a health hazard.")

Here is a link that might be useful: Pesticides (including Herbicides) in Toronto

I agree about not using the round-up - I think the tarps are a perfect way.

As an alternative, boiling water works wonders where you would normally use round-up.

thanks everyone!

Planning -- You and I think alike. Use boiling water. Also another clean way if new grass does come up (as in the case of errant seeds finding their way back into the mulched area) is to simply use a hoe/trowel to disturb the germinating seedlings. It's also a technique used on germinating weed seeds. Fast, clean and efficient.

Ianna

Well, nothing's perfect:

The boiling water you plan on using is likely heated by gas or electricity produced by combustion of fossil fuel, at least in part (see IESO web site for stats on how much Ontario electricity is generated using coal, for example).

As for the tarp, what happens when you're done with it ?
Does it go into a great big landfill ?

Just some questions we need to ask ourselves....

As for poisons, chances are we all grow some in our yards -- things like yews (Taxus), Lily-of-the-valley (Convallaria majalis), Castor Bean (Ricinus communis), etc.

I'm not looking for an environmental debate - just some help with some grass.

Thanks.

Couldn't you just cover the whole area with landscape fabric and then cover that with the mulch?

If you want to be environmentally friendly I believe you can get landscape "fabric" that biodegrades after a couple of years....

You can cover the whole area with newspapers then a few inches of mulch on top of that. It's a temporary barrier that will smother the grass. The newspaper will degrate into the soil quickly, but not before it smothers the grass. SPray the paperes with water to keep them in place until you can get the mulch on.