How-to Guide
How to Edge a Lawn (Bed Edges and Borders)
The short answer
Edging is simply cutting and maintaining a clean boundary between lawn and beds or walkways. Illinois Extension describes making an edging area about 4 inches deep and wide with a sharp spade, cutting the edge and then removing the soil and grass to form a small cliff between the lawn and the bed. That trench, angled toward the bed, is what keeps grass from creeping in.
You can leave it as a bare hand-cut edge or fill the trench with a solid material like steel, brick, stone, or wood if you want a permanent border. The bare cut edge costs nothing and looks sharp, but it is the option that needs upkeep.
Maintenance is light: Illinois notes a hand-edged bed needs touching up only once or twice a year to stay clean, because grass gradually grows back toward the beds over the season. Re-cut along the same line before the grass gets far and the edge stays crisp.
Cutting a clean edge, step by step
- 1Mark the line — Lay a garden hose or rope along the shape you want, using it to guide gentle curves and straight runs before you cut.
- 2Cut the edge — With a sharp spade or a half-moon edger, cut straight down along the line to about 4 inches deep, angling slightly toward the bed so grass roots cannot easily cross.
- 3Remove the wedge — Take out the strip of soil and grass to leave a small vertical 'cliff' on the lawn side and a shallow trench, following Illinois Extension's method.
- 4Finish or fill — Leave it as a bare cut edge, or fill the trench with a solid edging material (steel, brick, stone, wood) if you want a permanent, lower-maintenance border.
Keeping it sharp
A hand-cut edge is not one-and-done, but it is close. Illinois Extension notes hand-edged beds only need touching up once or twice a year, because grass steadily creeps back toward the beds through the growing season. Re-cut along the original line with the spade or edger before the grass advances far, and the edge looks new again.
Keep the spade or edger blade sharp so the cut is clean rather than torn, and cut when the soil is slightly moist so it slices easily without crumbling. For long, straight runs a powered edger speeds the job, but the technique and depth are the same.
✔ A defined edge does double duty: it stops grass invading beds and gives the mower a clean line to follow, so the whole lawn looks tidier for very little ongoing work.
Sources
Reviewed 2026-07-18. We cite university Extension, government, and established horticultural sources — and never invent pesticide rates or dangerous treatments.
- Illinois Extension - Bed Edges — Create a clean bed edge by cutting an edging area about 4 inches deep and wide with a sharp spade, removing the soil and grass to form a small cliff; the edge can be left hand-cut or filled with a solid material like steel, wood, brick, or stone; a hand-edged bed must be touched up once or twice a year to keep grass from invading the bed.
- Utah State University Extension - Tips for Edging Your Lawn — Use an edger or a sharp flat spade to cut a trench where lawn meets beds or walkways, angling toward the bed so grass roots cannot easily cross, and re-cut the edge periodically during the growing season to keep grass from creeping into the beds.