Chloe Zhang
Plastic edging is a great way to give your garden a clean, neat, and tidy look. It is a wallet-friendly, DIY-friendly, and practical way to enhance your landscaping and boost your home's curb appeal. It is flexible and easy to work with, making it an excellent choice for curved borders and round garden beds. In this guide, we will walk you through the steps on how to set up plastic edging and give your garden a beautiful upgrade.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Purpose | To distinguish a garden bed from the rest of a lawn, making your garden look neat and tidy, and acting as a barrier to prevent grass from growing in unwanted areas |
| Installation | Measure the outline of the garden bed using rope, then use a tape measure to determine how much edging is needed. Dig a trench around the garden bed, fill it in with soil, and install edging stakes. |
| Additional Tips | Let the edging lay out in the sun to make it easier to work with. Cut notches in the edging to accommodate large tree roots. Use connectors for trenches longer than one roll of edging. Stomp along the curves of the edging to flatten the soil and prevent heaving. |
| Tools | Trowel or shovel, hammer, watering equipment, E-Z Trencher or trenchmaster |
| Cost | 60 feet of plastic edging for garden beds and outdoor spaces starts at around $30 |
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What You'll Learn
Planning and measuring
To measure the area you want to edge, lay a piece of rope or twine along the desired outline, which can be a garden bed, border, or any outdoor space. If you're happy with the design, use environmentally safe marking paint to trace the curvature of the rope. Once the paint is dry, cut the rope to size.
Next, use a tape measure to determine the length of the rope, which will give you an estimate of the amount of plastic edging required for your project. It is recommended to add 10% to the total length to account for any waste. This step ensures you have enough material and helps prevent waste.
After measuring and planning, you can begin digging a trench along the marked outline. The trench should be 3 to 6 inches deep, and you can use a shovel or spade for this step. Remember to cut away any roots that may interfere with the edging.
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Digging a trench
To install plastic edging, you'll first need to measure the garden bed or border you want to edge. Use a flexible measuring tape or string/twine/rope to measure the length you need to cover. Lay the rope along the bed in the shape you desire. Once you're satisfied, use environmentally safe marking paint to trace the curvature of the rope. When the rope is dry, cut it to size and measure its length to get an idea of how much edging you'll need.
Now you're ready to start digging your trench. The trench should be at least 3-4 inches deep to accommodate the edging, with an extra 1/2-1 inch of space above ground to help maintain uniformity. If you're using Grass Barrier, they recommend a depth of 2-4 inches. Dig the trench along the edges of the bed, following the marking paint. Dig straight down to create a vertical "wall" that will support the edging. The trench should be just wide enough to fit your edging—usually about 2 inches. Be sure to keep the dirt you dig out nearby, as you'll need it later for backfilling.
If you have a large tree root in the way, cut a notch in the edging and slide it over the root. Avoid placing edging where there are many large roots, as you don't want to cut away at it too much. Use a shovel or other trench-digging tools to dig the trench. Pull up any weed-control fabric before you start.
Now you're ready to place your edging in the trench and start backfilling.
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Placing the edging
Once you have marked out the area to be edged, dug the trench and cut the edging to size, it is time to place the edging. If your edging is in a roll, it is a good idea to unroll it and lay it out in the sun for a couple of days to make it easier to work with.
If you are placing edging around a large tree root, cut a notch in the edging and line it up with the root. Avoid placing edging around areas with lots of large roots, as you don't want to cut away at the edging too much. If your trench is longer than one roll of edging, use a connector to join two pieces together. Slide the connector onto the end of each roll so that the ends meet in the middle, then push down firmly.
Now you can place the edging into the trench. Make sure that only the top half or third of the circle is visible, otherwise, it may get caught on a lawnmower. Fill the trench in with soil, using a trowel or shovel to backfill dirt into the trench on both sides. Gently move the dirt to avoid shifting the edging, then pat it down with your hand.
Finally, stomp along the curves of the edging with your feet to flatten the soil and push the edging outwards along the curve. This will help to set the edging in place.
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Securing the edging
One option is to use plastic coupling to tie pieces of edging together. Alternatively, you can use stakes to secure your edging. To do this, hammer stakes into the ground at a 45-degree angle to avoid the edging being forced out by frost. Place the stakes at 1.5m intervals, positioning them right next to the top of the edging with the pointed tip facing the "V" shape at the bottom. Then, hammer the part of the stake that is above the soil to force the pointed tip through the edging.
If your edging is longer than 20 feet, you will need to use connectors to join multiple pieces of edging together. Slide the connector onto the end of each piece of edging so that the ends meet in the middle and push down firmly so that it feels attached. You should use 8-inch connectors, with 4 inches of edging in each piece.
Finally, fill the trench back in with soil, patting it down gently with your hands. Water the soil to help it settle, and stomp along the curves of the edging with your feet to compact the soil and push the edging outwards along the curve.
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Filling the trench
Keep adding soil until it’s slightly higher than ground level, as it will settle with the first rain or watering. You can also add edging stakes to anchor the edging in place. Place a stake at every 3 to 5 feet along the edging. Hammer the stake into the soil so that it is right next to the top of the edging and the pointed tip is facing downwards. Use a rubber mallet to drive each stake at a slight angle from the lower outside face of the edging to the other side.
Finally, water the area with a garden hose to settle the soil. You can even lightly step on the dirt to pack it down even more if necessary.
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Frequently asked questions
First, lay out a piece of rope along the garden bed where you plan to install the edging. Then, measure the rope with a tape measure to determine how much edging you'll need. Don't forget to add 10% to the total length to account for waste.
Start by digging a trench around the garden bed and cutting away any roots. Next, place the plastic edging into the trench and use a trowel or shovel to backfill dirt on both sides. Make sure the edging is secure by hammering stakes into the ground at a 45-degree angle. Finally, gently pat down the soil with your hand and water the garden bed to help the dirt settle.
For plastic edging, you should dig a trench that is 3 to 6 inches deep. The depth of the trench will depend on the height of the edging and the desired appearance. The edging should be set so that only the top half or third of the circle is visible above the ground.
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