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Starting a lawn over again

Hi, all. I'm new to the forum  :)

I've decided to start my lawn over again. The area is about 38sqm. I moved a house few months ago and the lawn at the new house wasn't in great condition - it was bumpy and patchy. It needed to be dug out and started over again properly.

I've taken off the top layer to inspect what's underneath:













I went round with a garden fork to check the depth of the soil. I hit some rubble in a few places but managed to dig it out, including part of a patio slab. The soil is dry and clumpy because of recent rain, but in the photo with the part of the patio slab you can see part of the soil that I dug over with a fork. Whilst digging a couple of test holes, I dug out blue rubble in one spot - not sure what this is.

I'm not sure whether to dig the area down by a few inches and backfill with new soil (which could be expensive), or turn the soil over with a tiller and remove as many large stones as possible and then top the ground level up with new top soil before sowing new seed. I'd be very grateful for any advice you can provide.

Posts

  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    edited September 2023
    I agree with @pansyface :)
    Although grass is comparatively shallow rooted, good drainage etc plays a part. It will be a big job but good preparation will pay dividends in the end.
    Rather than type a great big "how to" post, have a look at the link below. 
    https://www.lawnweedexpert.co.uk/news/post/how-to-prepare-your-ground-for-seeding-or-turfing

    (No connection to the company, just thought it was a pretty comprehensive article).

    The only other thing l would say is when selecting your seed or turf, bear in mind the conditions caused by the trees on the other side of the fence.
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