Non-gardener, turf advice, recently flattened garden

The firming of the soil that @fairygirl mentioned should be done by treading over the area with your heels. The aim is to remove air pockets and "fluffiness" so that you don't get settling later on, and an uneven lawn surface.
There's a video here of Alan Titchmarsh making a lawn from turf, including the preparation, that you might find useful (ignore the branding/advertising)

 

Perfect, thankyou to everyone. This has all been so useful.

 

Yes - I should have mentioned that firming in process @turfturfturf , so that's really helpful for you that @JennyJB has given you that link.
It's not always straightforward making a new lawn, but you can amend bits and pieces as you go along. If you need to go across it for any reason, you can lay planks to help spread the weight too, but if you can avoid that until it's all well established and rooted, that will really help.
The watering is important if the timing of the turf laying is a bit out and you're into summer conditions. It's important not to skimp on that.
Hope it all goes well for you.

 

Thankyou so much, again, I'll get this done tomorrow. Thankyou

 

Hi everyone, i've started to work in compost, what do you think?


Garden is not big, say 5 x 9, 45m2.
I'm forking in about 480 litres of compost, is that enough?

Toil soil, I'll get a big bag and lay over the top
Should I mix in the top soil too, or just lay on top?

And lastly, should i tamp it all down, I don't have a roller or anything and its not that large so I figure if it needs a tamp down, I can just get the kids to jump over it for a while

 

I'd just add the topsoil. You need to do the firming in with your feet - which is shown on the link @JennyJB gave. Then rake it and then wait, because it may still settle quite a bit, and leave those bumps and hollows. The raking of the additional soil would be enough to get a mix.
It's very hard to tell if that's enough organic matter added though. It still looks quite heavy to me, but that could just be the footage. You can see the conditions of the soil in that link with AT- very different in structure, lighter and looser. Doing prep at this time of year can be difficult if the ground is wet.

 

Hi @fairygirl - thankyou so much, looks heavy, sorry what do you mean?

 

The soil still looks quite lumpy and solid- which clay often does because it needs help to break down and become finer in texture.
Ideally, you want it nice and friable, but that doesn't mean it isn't fine for laying turf or sowing grass seed- it just means that it can still break down and leave little hollows etc. That's why it pays to take your time and get the levels as good as possible.

 

@fairygirl i think you're right, it needs more work to fine it down and level it too.
i'll do that over the next week or so.

do you think theres enough compost in it?
400-500 litres of compost, and then topsoil will be on top about 20-30mm all over

 

The compost will gradually break down and disappear, but that's a fairly long term factor, and it also depends on what the compost was like - some is very coarse. As I said earlier, it's very hard to say if it's enough though, without seeing it in person. Roughly ten bags over that area isn't an awful lot, but the soil will be a better base over time.
Eventually, that topsoil will be the main ingredient in the mix, and as grass doesn't need a huge depth to thrive, it'll probably be fine. You can also add a little more now and again, without it affecting the grass itself.

 

@fairygirl Thankyou so much for your continued advice and time

 

I can only go by what I would do, or have done in the past @turfturfturf .
There are lawn 'experts' who will no doubt disagree because they see it from a different point of view, and are used to making and maintaining commercial turfed areas like sports pitches etc, but most gardeners just want grass that will stay green as much as possible, will suit their location and purse strings, and can be somewhere to relax on or for their kids/pets to play on. The average gardener isn't looking for a bowling green or Lord's Cricket Ground though

In prolonged dry areas, the big problem is keeping them healthy over the summer, so that's something to consider - hence the info about thorough watering. The best solution is not to cut too short , once it's established. Even if you were to have it turfed by around early to mid May, it wouldn't be particularly established by July or so, and watering might be the main concern for you. We have very different conditions up here from the far south, and watering isn't really needed in most situations, even when laying a new lawn, or sowing a seeded one.
I find it abhorrent that anyone in the west of Scotland ever waters grass, but I saw it last year. We all pay the same for our water supply, and it annoyed me that I was trying to be responsible with my watering, when others didn't give a toss.
I hope it goes ok for you. I'm sure others will help further, or offer other advice about getting it all going.