How to Install Plastic Landscape Edging in 5 Steps

A landscape with edging.
What You'll Need
Tape measure
Spray paint
Wheelbarrow
Shovel or trench digging tool
Plastic edging
Garden hosee
Landscaping stakes
What You'll Need
Tape measure
Spray paint
Wheelbarrow
Shovel or trench digging tool
Plastic edging
Garden hosee
Landscaping stakes

Plastic landscape edging is a practical and inexpensive method of separating your landscaped beds from your lawn. This long-lasting divider gives a finished look to the garden and can be easily installed by any do-it-yourselfer over the course of an afternoon.

Follow these simple steps to install plastic edging around your landscaped beds to define them, and to keep the grass out.

Step 1 - Select Area

You may want to install edging around one or more landscaped beds, around trees, a pond, or even an area in your lawn that serves as a vegetable garden.

To determine how much plastic edging you need to purchase, mark off the desired area with spray paint. Measure the marked area to get an estimate of how much edging you need to purchase.

Purchase commercial, good quality edging that is at least 5 inches wide. Do not consider flimsy plastic that will not last more than a few months. Your edging should be strong enough to withstand natural elements and maintain its shape for years to come. It is always better to purchase a bit more than required, keeping the extra safe for future use.

Step 2 - Dig a Trench

Dig a trench along the marked line by inserting a shovel or trench-digging tool into the soil with your foot on its flat edge. Dig as deep as 4 to 6 inches to prevent grass from creeping under your edging.

Continue digging the trench along the bed to make room for the landscape edging. Make sure you move the shovel back and forth to loosen the soil from the trench. Collect the soil in a wheelbarrow because you will need it to reinforce the edging with later.

Step 3 - Install Plastic Landscape Edging

Unravel the plastic edging and cut the amount you need to fit around your defined areas. Push it down into the trench until only ¼ to ½ inch is visible on the ground. Keeping any more visible on the top is not advisable because it may cause you or someone else to trip.

After installing a foot of edging into the ground, fill the empty spaces next to the edging in the trench with the collected soil in the wheelbarrow. This will cause the soil to settle in tight and hold the edging firmly in place.

Step 4 - Use Stakes for Curved Edging

Drive landscaping stakes through the plastic and into the lawn horizontally to hold the edging firmly in place for curves around the landscaping beds.

Step 5 - Water the Edging

Once your edging is installed, survey the entire area for any holes and gaps and backfill with soil. Do not leave them because they may cause the edging to come loose.

Take a garden hose and walk along the edging, watering it on both sides to enable the soil to settle down firmly.

Your plastic garden edging is complete. Store any remaining edging by rolling it in the same direction it was when you purchased it. Plastic edging has interlocking pieces that provide the advantage of changing damaged ones without uninstalling the entire length.