Tilling the garden for a new lawn

I’ve still been busy on the garden, I’ve used up the edging boards I bought for the job,





I had planed to stop here, only go round half the garden with the edging boards and new top soil, now I’ve changed my mind and will go closer to the bungalow with the top soil so need a few more edging boards,

I’m also plan on levelling the grass I’m leaving and over seeding that area and might use some spare pieces I have kicking around for the

Was raining the other day, I love the rain whether cuddling up inside the bungalow watching the rain outside or be in it outside, for sieving the soil is wasn’t going to be possible if it was raining



I was planing in buying a lawn levelling rake but after seeing the cost of a good one I went out and bought some metal tubes and will weld my own,

The tubes were 1.5M long I cut them down to 1M as I’m making the levelling rake 1m x (approx)350mm, just having difficulty finding a 2M long handle at the moment







I went round to my local builders merchant who supplies both top soil



and grit



They can deliver it by bags, 600/700Kg or by the tone which works out cheaper, or you get more for the same price of bags, while I was there I was thinking of getting 3 tones of each and also hire a cement mixer for £50 for 7 days to mix the grit and soil with

If I get it in tones they will deliver it on a 6 wheeler Transit pickup, the pickup can hold only 4 tones so they would have to make 2 trips and today after levelling off the mounds of top soil I’d sieved I think maybe 4 tones will do me so maybe get 2 tones of each and see how far that would take me, if not enough I can always ask for the other 2 tones

I wen’t to go-outdoors (as a member I got 57% off the pegs and also buy one get one free), 4 bags of tent pegs paid £6, using these ro level across to give me some idea how deep the top soil needs to be, so first thing to do was to straighten out the hook to give me a longer peg













Just about make out the peg

 

Then with wheelbarrow and continental shovel in hand off I went and spread the soil around the edges first













You may well ask why round the edges first, I’d had a 6 wheeler Transit tipper round to the back garden before so know one will be able to drive on to my lawn, buy spreading the soil I have now to the sides, I’ll just get the driver to tip his load on to the centre of the new area that needs soil and I’ll have less work to do moving the soil around

Finally as the soil I’ve moved around to the edges is very soft I used a water filled roller (I bought the other day off Facebook market place for a tenner) and went round the edge just the once till I get my levelling rake finished









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Wow @Mollydog - great work! It's going to be a lovely area

 

Thank you Caroline, for sure it’s hard work

I’m hoping to be able to get the seeds down by end of September, any opinions what grass seeds I should be looking for?

Overall the garden gets the sun all round bar between the side of the cherry tree and the fence tends to be shady there all year round

 

I'd look up Boston seeds. I got a mix from there that doesn't need such frequent mowing. But if you want a really fancy lawn, then I suspect you need to ask someone like @LawnAndOrder what they recommend.

 

I was busy in the garden last week, I put in an order for top soil/grit mix, the lorry could carry 4 tonnes so I thought I’d buy 4 tonnes and see how far this got me, the lorry was larger then the Transit van I was expecting but it still managed to get to the back of my garden











It didn’t look much, I new right away I needed another load so after the driver finished I phoned in for another load for the next morning



Barrow and shovel in hand got round to moving the soil round the garden





To get some idea how much was needed I started using a 3M long timber and I was sure I needed a lot more than a further 4 tonnes







I decided to use pegs to give me a better idea how high I needed to go (plan on having the soil 50 to 100mm higher in the middle then sloping down to the edge boards)

With the 3M timber I get to level the sand & soil approx 50mm lower than the edging boards then finally order another lorry load of just top soil and no sand







That 4 tonnes didn’t go that far





This is level with the edging boards

 

The next morning the lorry arrived with a further 4 tonnes of top soil & sand







It still didn’t look enough for the job











I went round with my garden roller



Then my wife popped out and helped out by walking on the top soil and after using one of the rakes to level off any humps









This is as far as I am at the moment



A couple of sellers on Facebook marketplace are selling top soil for £40 per 800Lt bags just waiting to hear back from them

 

It's amazing how much topsoil it takes! You're doing well - hope the weather holds up for you