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Gardening

Find tips and tricks to make your garden or allotment flourish on our Gardening forum.

Original poster

Idiot needs a lawn, can you help me?

14 replies

CrabbitArse · 03/05/2015 10:42

Back garden is gravel over some sort of membrane but I would like a toddler friendly garden for the summertime. I've just moved in and the neighbours have said drainage is bad so grass dies. Some kind ladies in Chat yesterday suggested by removing the membrane but leaving the gravel & putting soil on top that would help with drainage so grass was an option after all (was previously considering fake grass).

All this gardening stuff is a complete mystery to me so if anybody could answer some questions I'd be ever so grateful Smile
Gravel area is approx 4mX6m, how much soil would I need? Does it need a thick layer or just a couple of cm?
Is a layer of gravel enough or would I need to put extra down for effective drainage?
If I chucked seed down would it be usable by the summer or should I get turf? Am in Scotland mind you so I appreciate summer may never come!

OP posts:
PotteringAlong · 03/05/2015 10:45

Why not put fake grass down?

Original poster
CrabbitArse · 03/05/2015 10:52

It's extortionate!!!!!

OP posts:
PotteringAlong · 03/05/2015 10:53

Turfing isn't going to be cheap either though.

PurpleWithRed · 03/05/2015 11:06

It's really not that easy - get some one in to cost for digging the gravel in to the soil underneath, adding some organic matter/good topsoil and then turfing. I'm guessing £5-10 per square metre and then you will have to mow it etc so need a lawnmower. Artificial grass may be cheaper in the long run.

iwouldgoouttonight · 03/05/2015 11:09

It depends on your budget really, turf will be much quicker but for 24 square metres I'd guess it would cost around £100, plus top soil before you lay it. Grass seed is much cheaper you just need to prepare the ground really well first so I'd say 5-10cm of top soil over the whole area and then you can get seed really cheaply from Wilkinson's. I don't seem to have much luck with seed and I ended up laying turf (I got mine from here onlineturf.co.uk) but a friend of mine did her whole garden with seed and it looks great.

Original poster
CrabbitArse · 03/05/2015 11:55

Oh dear, I was hoping it would be that easy Purple and I could just put the soil straight on top of the gravel Blush. It's a rental property so I'm not wanting to spend megabucks, but could probably stretch to £200-300 if I had to.

OP posts:
Perfectlypurple · 03/05/2015 12:01

You will need a couple of bulk bags of topsoil, about £50-£80 each bag. Then the turf on top. You won't do it for that price. The topsoil will need to be deep to allow the grass to grow.

Methe · 03/05/2015 12:04

We had gravel over a membrane in our garden when we moved in here and it was basicially a cat toilet. dH and I dug our the gravel over several weekends and out it in a skip ( might have actually been 2 skips) we then levelled the ground and turfed straight on the surface.

The lawns been down for 9 years and looks fine. It doesn't have to be massively complicated.

Don't put soil on the gravel.. That is a really terrible idea and one you would live to regret.

Ferguson · 03/05/2015 22:53

As Methe says, if you can get rid of most of the gravel, and membrane, and then thoroughly dig the area as deeply as you can, maybe digging in SOME of the gravel at the very bottom. Then put in as much peat-substitute, compost, and manure as you can afford, rake and level it, and that should give a base for a lawn. Turf it if you can afford it, or use a reasonable quality grass seed. Keep it watered when the weather is dry.

funnyperson · 04/05/2015 02:21

I agree you need to get rid of the membrane.
You could use the gravel for paths.
Ask a lawn company how much topsoil you need. They will come and do the topsoil and the lawn for you. On some of the websites you put in the size of lawn needed and your postcode and they give you an estimate

JellyTipisthebest · 04/05/2015 07:49

If its rented you need your landlord's permission, they may not give it. I wouldn't if I had made my garden so it was easy for tenants I would then want them to put grass.

Original poster
CrabbitArse · 04/05/2015 11:44

Landlord is happy for me to do whatever I want to the garden so that's not an issue Jelly I checked before I took the property.
I've been onto a couple of sites and even 5cm of topsoil plus turf would be more than I could afford and as a single mum of a high needs toddler I'm both time and cash poor! Looks like the only feasible solution is get rid of as much gravel as I can, buy as much soil as I can afford then seed it and hope for the best.
Thanks so much to all who took the time to reply Flowers

OP posts:
Methe · 04/05/2015 12:50

It might be worth putting an advert on ebay - 'gravel, for sale buyer collects' or something like that. Or you could advertise it for free on facebook/gumtree/freecycle.

I once got rid of a load of old slabs like that. I got £9 or something and he got some slabs for his stables and all he had to do was did them up and lug them to his van. I didn't have to do anything expect make him a cup of tea!

shovetheholly · 05/05/2015 13:21

Can you post a picture? I am surprised that drainage is a problem unless it's practically a bog. Grass normally copes quite well with wet.

I think you can do this yourself, but it means accepting a LOT of work! (And I do mean a lot!)

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