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All Advice Gratefully Received!

Mick1000000Mick1000000 Posts: 3
in The potting shed
Hi folks, I have recently purchased a new build property just outside Glasgow. My back garden seems to be a congealed mess. It's been destoned and rotovated however despite my best efforts at obtaining fairly level soil before I plant grass seed, due to the wet weather it is still extremely soggy in most places. 

The developer has assured me extra drainage has been put in, and I have to deal with my garden the way it is.

Could I prepare the soil any better? It's been raked a few times, as you can see from the pictures, it just seems too boggy to seed. 

Is is it just a case of waiting for a few weeks of no rain(being in Scotland this is rare!) and is west facing, getting the sun from 1pm onwards.

Any other suggestions will be gratefully considered. The garden slopes downwards after 8 metres (around 15m long in total by 10m wide)

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Posts

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Grass seed won't germinate well in cold wet conditions so wait a bit. 

    Are you grassing the whole space or planning some beds for shrubs/trees/ornamental flowers/veggies/fruit?   If so, I would mark those out first and cover with cardboard or plastic sheets to keep off more rain and stop weed seeds germinating.  It'll save on grass seed and also time and effort on preparing beds later.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • Joyce21Joyce21 Posts: 15,489
    Hi Mick, one hour south of you and the ground is still very wet. I'd wait a while before sowing grass seed.
    SW Scotland
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    I agree ... wait until it's dried out a bit ... it will  :) 

    I think it looks pretty good, all things considered ... for sowing grass timing is everything ... the story goes that the old farmers used to pull down their corduroys and sit their bare btm on the soil to test when it was ready ... when it felt warm to the touch it was time to sow the seeds ... probably best not to test it that way when there's a football match going on  ;)

    But how lovely to be overlooking the pitch ... a great view for a new build  B)

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Mick1000000Mick1000000 Posts: 3
    Thanks for the replies folks. Only plants / flower beds will be along the border alongside the fence. The rest I intend to seed. 

    Eventually, I would like decking along the right hand side (before it slopes downwards) and possibly a shed at the top left hand corner.
  • Joyce21Joyce21 Posts: 15,489
    A word of warning Mick. Up here the decking will very soon get slippy with algae and need to be constantly cleaned.
    SW Scotland
  • Mick1000000Mick1000000 Posts: 3
    Noted Joyce. In the meantime I will keep raking and trying to make the soil a bit crumblier than it is at the moment. 

    It slopes down down to the left as well, in the long term I plan on paving the left hand side leading down to a shed and turf at the bottom where it flattens after the slope. 
  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494

    Hi Mick, I would keep off the soil while it is still wet as you will only compact it more.

    Wait for at least a week of warm dry weather before you start raking it.

    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • hogweedhogweed Posts: 4,053
    It will take a good few weeks up here before you are ready to sow. Leave it as it is at the moment.
    'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    I agree with Hogweed and Lizzie, leave it alone for now , all it needs is some warmer dryer weather. Working the soil while it's wet will just break it down and result in mud which, when it dries will form a hard crust on the surface which you definitely need to avoid. 
    I know you're itching to get on with things, but gardeners need to cultivate patience as well as cultivating the soil  ;)

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    I'm another one for " leave it to dry out" .
    As my dear late Mother would have said " Never trouble trouble, until trouble troubles you" 
    You'll do more harm than good "working" it. 
    Read some books , or do online research about plants, design, or even soil??
    Devon.
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