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Digging up turf
Hi We have an area of grass/moss at the front of our house that we would like to re-design and make into a Victorian garden with gravel and flower beds. I was planning to dig up the turf, level soil +/- sand then cover with a membrane where we want the gravel pathways. My question is, if we are covering up, can we just leave out the 'digging up turf' bit? I think it would save time but perhaps not if it will cause problems later on! Any help appreciated! Thanks.
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Buy a Chillington Hoe
If you use a heavy duty membrane, I don't see why not. However, bear in mind that you'll be increasing the height of the whole area by doing that, so you may need edging of some kind to retain everything.
I did something similar last year and, although it was a lot of work removing the turf, it gave a better result.
You can hire turf strippers to remove it too - it depends how big the area is that you need to clear
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Cheers!
If you do decide to remove the turf, stack it in a neat heap in a corner for a year and it will turn into lovely loam, which you can use in potting compost or toimprove soil elsewhere. Cut it thinly: an inch or so will be enough, as long as it holds together,