Help with new build garden please :-)

Hi all,

Firstly thanks for letting me join the community. Already read some great tips on here.

Secondly I'm after some tips for my new build garden if possible. Basically I just want to grass seed the whole thing (barring a small area for a patio)!

I believe it's been filled with left over hardcore and then covered with soil. I've had a dig and I can go down at least 8 inches if not more. The trouble is its filled with loads of stones, pieces of wood etc.

Can anyone give me some starting points please? Im thinking of digging a few inches up disposing of it and filling with decent quality top soil then laying grass seed.

I've already sprayed the weeds which are now dead.

Picture attached.

Thanks a lot.

 

The first thing I would do would be hire a rotavator and get to work. This time of year it should come up crumbly and you will do it in a few hours. You will probably have to hand pick the rubble out, anything smaller than about a 2p piece just leave and if it's a few inches down, just leave it too. Before you go spending lots of money on topsoil (and it is expensive) see what type of soil you have. You may not need to buy topsoil.

It seems a shame not to create some borders in the corners or round the edges and while you are at it you could plant a few trees too.

After rotavating, you will need to rake it before sowing the grass seed and then rake it in after you sow. Now is a good time to be doing this. Sowing a lawn is rewarding, even more so with a few trees and shrubs in it. If planting trees or shrubs leave bare soil about a foot around the trunk. Good luck.

 

Hi, thanks for the reply - much appreciated.

I was thinking of hiring a rotavator but then when I have been reading forums people say not to as apparently it spreads the weeds by churning them up?

How would I tell what soil I have?

I do want a border all the way round the edge, but for simplicity I was going to seed it all then just border at a later date. Would you not reccomend that?

Also I wanted to ask, in comparison with the paving slabs you see how level should the soil be before I start sowing the seeds? I don't want the grass to be too high above the slabs or too low?

Also last question, is it as simple as raking then laying seeds then raking again? Any recommendations for seed? I would like some bowling green grass ;-)

Thanks again,

 

Hire a rotavator......it may spread weeds but most of the nasty persistent ones will be killed off by the mowing. Unless you have a really strong back and hours/days to spare use a rotavator. It will save huge amounts of time and effort.

Re soil type: post a picture on here when you've rotavated it and people on here can help.

If you want a border round the edge: mark it out after you've rotavated but before you seed and then sow the grass seed within the grass area. This will save you time and effort.

Level your soil before you sow; the rotavator will help here.

If you want a fine high quality type lawn go for bents and fescues mixes with little or no ryegrass; something like this,

www.thegrassseedstore.co.uk/lawn-seeds-1/without-ryegrass/ornamental-lawn.html

but if you have kids or a dog or want to have parties or play football go for something more hard wearing like

http://www.thegrassseedstore.co.uk/lawn-seeds-1/hardwearing-lawn-with-ryegrass.html

I have no connection with The Grass Seed Store; there are many suppliers; these are merely examples. Johnsons seed is readily available in garden centres and I have used it and it's good.

Also once you have seeded it is important for germination and establishment that it should stay moist. If there is no rain for a week, water with a spray but don't let the soil puddle. If there is a drought you should water it regularly for at least six weeks.

 

Thanks again,

Please find attached a few pictures of the soil.

 

That soil looks ok to me; nice and loamy and friable. Looks like the builders left it in a very compacted state but digging, as you have done, or rotavating will sort it out.

 

Thanks, that's good news. Can I just ask, do I need to pick out all the stone bits that you see in the pictures?

 

Hi Infallible, welcome to GC. Ideally you do remove stones before sowing grass seed. That's where the raking comes in! By the time you've got rid of them, the level will probably have dropped quite a bit. It should be about an inch above the level of any paving or patio when it's firmed down, so it could be that you'll need to top up with topsoil after all. If you're going to make a patio, you could re-use the stones in that area as hardcore. It saves a few trips to the tip and some expense on hardcore! Looking ahead, could I suggest that you lay a hosepipe around to mark out a curved border around the fence? Have a look at it from ground level and upstairs in the house and play around with the shape and dimensions until you're happy with it. Curving the line around the corners will avoid a regimented look and make the garden seem much bigger.

 

Hi all,

Just wanted to say thanks for all your advice. I went for the ornamental grass seed from the grass seed company and is looking pretty good.

Thought I would share some pictures as I am sure a lot of people seek advice and never follow up.

Here are some pictures of before and after. The stripe picture is the one from today. As you can see it started off really green and now a bit lighter is that right?

Also, now I am two months in do I need to do anything additional? I'm keen to get a really luxurious grass. I am cutting and watering regularly.

Any tips to take it to the next stage will be appreciated.

 

Any comments?

 

that lawn is lawn mighty fine
i dont have a lawn so i will tag others who may offer some sage advice
@shiney @JWK maybe you can help please

 

Thank you both for your input. I'll wait for the others to reply as well.