Deep edge with gradual slope up bed

For edging of beds that have mulch already down, such as edging a new customer mid-season, the process is the same except for two things: First, the mulch will be raked back into the bed 1 or 2 feet (as is possible), and two, the ‘edged’ soil will not be tossed back into the bed, it will be removed. Below are some progress shots showing the progression from mulch raking, edging, hoeing and finished product with edge on and mulch raked back down.

Who doesn’t love a clean & deep edge on a garden? It’s the finishing touch, really, and the last little detail that completes the picture. Done well, edging will show a definite break between lawn and garden, and keep that lawn from encroaching into the garden. It will also act as a support for mulch in the edge, preventing the mulch from getting into the lawn during heavy rain events. 

Edges work best when the slope up to the bed can be gradual so that mulch isn’t easily allowed to end up in the base of the edge. This isn’t always possible, of course, and in cases where it isn’t, will result in ever so slightly more maintenance to the edge and any mulch in the bed itself.

When edging a garden for the first time, before mulch is present or before new mulch will be put down, I’ll use my edging tool to dig deeply around the bed and toss the removed soil pieces into the bed (If there is too much grass in the soil pieces they’ll be removed, rather than put into the bed). Once complete, I’ll go around the new edge and run my edger down the vertical portion again, smoothing out imperfections and rounding any curves off a bit nicer. I’ll then take hoe and drag any dirt left in the edge up into the bed as well as smooth out the grade up into the main part of the bed. At this point initial edging is complete. 

Edging + mulching