Hi JennieG, I did just what you are suggesting. In my garden, starting 2 years ago, I skimmed off the turves of grass and stacked them green side down. I dug over the remaining soil in the winter ready for planting in spring. The next year,same again and the patch got a bit bigger and I'm just ready to extend again for next season. The stacked turves are now nicely rotted and I mix them with a bit of manure for home made compost. Any garden waste goes into the Dalek composter for reincorporating into the soil. Apart from adding a little blood fish and bone to the soil, I've done very little else to it and for the last two years I've had a good crop of root veg and loads of salads. SO give it a go and good luck and welcome to the vine.