Newbie requires help with preparing garden for lawn

Hi everybody.

First time posting so hopefully I have come to the right place

Basically after moving into a new build we decided to deck out the back garden.

I dug out the soil, we decided a deck wasn't wanted so I put it all back, which was painfull.

Now we want a simple lawn for the first 2/3rds the raised veg patch at the top.

As we left it for ages, it started to weed over quite badly. I've got rid of most of the nasties but still have some grass type weeds.

Main problem is the surface is uneven and sloping.

Please can anybody offer some advice on how to finish the preperation off and what tools / implements are needed to get it to a stage where turf can be laid in a smooth line up the garden.

The slope isn't a problem, but I seem to keep meeting myself coming backwards when I try and get it any more level and organised than it is

Pics below.






Thanks for your patience

 

"moving into a new build"

Have the builders left lots of rubble in, or more probably under :(, the soil?

If so they all need to come out - best way would be to dig it over to a depth of at least one spit - the depth of a fork / spade - and remove and stones / brick bats hen's egg size or larger.

To get it level for sowing a lawn you need to develop a tilth. You could hire a rotavator for the day, which would break it all up into small clods. Rake over the surface (rake needs to have rigid tines, not spring tines) pulling the soil this-way-and-that to develop an even surface, then walk over it shuffling your feet (fit the right foot, half a foot ahead, with the heel of the right foot in the "cup" of your left foot, then move the left foot half a foot ahead). This will break up the soil, and compact it. Doing this shortly after a decent downpour - when the soil doesn't stick to your shoes, but is not too dry for the clods to break, will give you a nice fine tilth. Rake it over again after treading it down.

If you are still not level enough you could take a section of ladder, tie a rope to each end, and two it around - that will spread the soil and distribute it into the hollows, and scrape off the hills. Put some blocks on the ladder to weigh it down a bit if it just skids over the top of the soil.

I woudl do that for the whoel lot, including raised bed area. You probably won't be able to maneourvre easily if you leave the raised bed area separately.

Once you've got a decent seed bed for your lawn then you can build the raised bed. Put that straight on top of the soil you have dug, and then top up with top soil and compost. Digging some manure into the bottom part would help a lot (depending a bit on what you want to grow).

Sow grass seed in the early Autumn. Sit back and wait for a nice green lawn next year! Or your could put turf on the seedbed as soon as you have made it, but make sure you have a hose and sprinkler and can water it heavily every second or third day for the first 4 - 6 weeks after you turf it during the Summer. Turf is about £1.50 per sq.m.

 

Hi Kristen, Many thanks for the in depth reply.

I have to admit I am not 100% sure what you mean with the ladder bit, but will do some more research to find out.

What would you do about the greenery and weeds that are left growing at the mo?

Do they all have to come out / be killed before we start, or is it ok to rotivate it all over and rake them out after ?

I have weeded this bloomin garden at least 5 times and because we never get more than a couple of days in a row at it some of the weeds grow back and take it back to stage 1.

Circles are a going round :o

 

Hi Twonks, Love your name Welcome to goy..We Pulled our front garden to bits this year, including replacing the Lawn, Here's the link to the thread.. maybe this will help..

http://www.gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/showthread.php/front-garden-my-19006.html

 

Thanks for the link Ms Dee

Yours looks very nice. I did think it was ok at the start tbh, but when done it looked a fair bit better. Lots cleaner and sharper.

The problem with ours is we just can't get any machinery in as we are the middle of 3 gardens with no side access. The rear is through a 6 foot tall archway so only cars can get through, and the road is so small that something reaching over would block the road and get people moaning... grrr.

Still, thanks to this forum there is a little bit of inspiration to start the perspiration and get cracking :hehe:

Cheers for the comments on moi name - Twonks is normally found posting in cycling and car / home audio forums, so a gardening corner is somewhat off at a tangent


edit... Actually, there is a little fib in the above. The main problem with ours is me... I can't be bothered to do it, but after 3 years living with the above, my new wife is putting her foot down and insisting we sort it out lol.

 

You Little Fibber you:D The longer you leave it, the harder it will be, So get yourself Motivated and hire a Lawn stripper and a Wacker then lay a new Lawn, Go On Then :D

 

Lay the ladder flat on the ground, tie a rope around the rung at each end. Put the rope around your waist and tow in - like a cart horse :hehe:

If the ladder just skates over the ground weight it down with something so it drags an inch or so of soil with it.

The soil being dragged will fall into any hollows, and the ladder will scrape off any little hills, so after a few passes the surface will be smooth.

If you are not adverse to using chemicals I suggest a Glyphosate-based weedkiller. Apply as per instructions, wait 2 weeks (for the weeds to die), then rotavate.

You still have to get any bricks etc. out, if there are any ...