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My garden is really bugging me out 🤣🤣

jojo.donoghuejojo.donoghue Posts: 5
in Problem solving
Hi guys, my garden is very lumpy and bumpy and it’s really bugging me lately . Our house is relatively new and the garden was obviously rushed! There’s a steep fall on the garden about 5 or 6 inches and my kids can’t even bounce on their trampoline without the bars underneath bending due to the steep fall on the garden. Because of all this isolating lately I’m so bored and I’m very eager to dig it by hand as I have no rotivator and can’t hire one at the moment as all the hardware shops are slowed. What does everybody think about digging it by hand and raising it with some top soil and levelling it out with a rake and reseeding it???? Here’s a photo of the garden. I know it’s a lot of work digging it by hand but like I said I have a lot of time on my hands! Thanks in advance guys. 
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Posts

  • GrannybeeGrannybee Posts: 332
    The trampoline looks dangerous. Perhaps it should be moved so that there is not an accident.
  • JoeXJoeX Posts: 1,783
    Hi there,

    Im just a hobby gardener, no idea about trampolines, but my first thoughts would be to plan out the garden before trying to level the bit the trampoline is on (at the moment).

    You may decide its better in the far corner on what looks like a sandy bit, giving you more lawn space...for example.

    Measure out the garden, and make a scale map (can be hand drawn) and make a note of where the sun rises and sets, and when different parts of your garden are in light and shade.

    To level up the part the trampoline will be on I would be removing sand or soil from the uphill side, rather than adding to the downhill side.  Measure and mark out the space you need for the trampoline, then line it with spare bricks or timber you might have lying around before you start digging...sounds easy 😀 
  • jojo.donoghuejojo.donoghue Posts: 5
    They are not aloud on the trampoline at the moment the trampoline is not an issue I was just giving an example of how bad my garden is guys 🤣 the sand in the corner is just kids sand to play with. It’s the whole garden I need to level there’s a 5 inch fall to the left of the photo down towards the fencing the trampoline was just an example of how bad of a slope there is in the garden. It really bugs me. I won’t be planting much I just want a good quality lawn for the kids to play during the summer and I want to be able to have a set of swing etc but that won’t be possible the way the garden is at the moment! I’m just looking for the best option to level out the garden with hand tools. Would I be better off to cut the lawn right down and place top soil on top? And just level it all out and plant seed or what do you recommend??
  • jojo.donoghuejojo.donoghue Posts: 5
    @pansyface I had intended on doing that I didn’t ask for advice on that! I’d appreciate it if you didn’t comment unless it’s helping me out thank you! 
  • TopbirdTopbird Posts: 8,355
    If it gives you some idea...

    My garden had a slight slope on it - 6" from side to side across the back of the house. When we put in a new patio we decided to level up across the back of the house and then have a shallow slope running off into the hedge which runs alongside the garden. Our whole road slopes down west - east so there has to be steps or slope somewhere in the garden.

    We only did the levelling on the area immediately around the house so the patio wouldn't look skew whiff - an area of perhaps 12m x 12m - plus filling in sunken pockets in the rest of the fairly large lawn. This took 14 tons of top soil....

    It was done with diggers, lorry loads of soil and strong men.

    I think you would be better to concentrate on taking off the highs and filling in the lows of your grass and making much smaller level areas where you need them (eg if you want any seating areas and a site for the trampoline.

    Accept that you lawn will have a slope and iron out the peaks and troughs. That is doable with a bit of muscle and a spade.
    Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    @jojo.donoghue .   I echo what Topbird has just said. No way do you want to be digging that slope out to make it level. You have no idea just how big a pile of soil would be, it's tremendously hard work and believe me, you would rapidly get pissed off with doing it and would then be left with a mess. Far better as Topbird says, to just level the area under the trampoline, or if you really want to dig, you could dig that bit out and sink the whole trampoline, which might be a lot safer, windproof and not so in your face. Similarly where you want a swing to go, just level out the four points for the swing supports, or sink the ones on the higher side into the soil.
    once you've done all that, you can concentrate on the actual lawn itself, filling in any dips, levelling any humps and then reseeding.
    That should keep you busy for a while. Good luck
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • jojo.donoghuejojo.donoghue Posts: 5
    @Topbird @philippa smith2 thanks for the advice guys yes I’m going to keep a slight slope in the garden so you think I’d be best off leaving it as it is with the slope and just iron off the peaks and fill in the holes?? Do you not think the slope is a bit much? Maybe I’m wrong 😂 thanks so much guys ! 
  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    @jojo.donoghue, A 6" slope is nothing in the scheme of things. Mine is long and sloping, and has had to be professionally terraced and stepped at great expense - be grateful for small mercies!! Best of luck. it will be great to get stuck into a project at the present time.
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    @jojo.donoghue-a six inch slope barely counts as a slope.

    The trampoline is the only thing causing you a problem. I've never had a level garden in my life until this one, and it has a slope of five or 6 inches from one end to the other,but I still consider it level. It's small too. 

    It's also not good practice to be rude to forum members in your first thread, who have offered very valid advice. You run the risk of no one offering any help.
    @pansyface is right about the tree.
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • jojo.donoghuejojo.donoghue Posts: 5
    @Fairygirl would you mind posting a pic of your garden please? @pansyface I apologise for being rude it just has me so stressed out I think I’m overthinking too much again I apologise! 
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