Installing wooden lawn edging

You need string, wooden stakes, a 2-by-4 piece of lumber, hammer, sledgehammer, hand saw, garden spade, wheel barrow, level, 2-inch galvanised nails, wood sealer and the wooden edging itself. The most important thing to do when preparing materials is to buy edging that has been treated for contact with the ground. This will prevent the wood from rotting in a year or two.

Prepare the trench for the edging to lay in. The trench should be dug out using a garden spade or hand-held hoe. The depth will depend on how tall the edging is. The trench should be deep enough to allow the edging to stand about 2.5 cm (1 inch) above the grass. Before digging, a straight line should be marked off using spray paint to serve as a guide. After the trench has been made, the 5 by 10 cm (2 by 4 inch) beam is used to firmly stamp the ground compact in the bottom of the trench. Before moving to the next step, check whether the bottom of the trench is level by laying part of the edging inside. Level any spaces that are too high and fill in any holes to make a flat, level surface. The sod and loose soil should be collected in the wheelbarrow.

Before being placed in the ground, the edging should be laid flat. Next, place wooden stakes on the edging 2.5 cm (1 inch) below the top edge. Secure the stakes to the edging using common nails and a hammer. Space out the stakes no more than 1.2 m (4 feet) apart from each other.

Some of the edging may need to be cut to fit the space. This can be done using a hand saw or circular saw. Make sure to seal the ends with a sealer after they are cut to prevent rotting.

Place the edging in the trench with the stakes facing the lawn or landscaping bed. Use the sledgehammer to drive the stakes into the ground. Use the sod and loose soil to fill in the space on the side of the edgers opposite the bed or lawn. Stamp down the soil to compact it into the ground and against the wooden edging.