lawn on top of concrete?

[Ifailed]

I've moved to a new house this year, and have started work on the garden. I knew it would be a struggle, it was mostly decking with the last third covered in astroturf. Having removed two rotting sheds and most of the decking, I've now discovered why the astroturf was there, about 3 inches down is a thick slab of concrete that seems to impenetrable to any tool I have, including a heavy metal rod that I used to make quick work of a pathway.

I'm thinking of laying turf on top of a layer of good topsoil over the concrete, at least for this year. Will it survive with feeding - has anyone else experienced something similar?

I haven't found anything yet - started at the edge and it took me over an hour to knock a lump out, its over 3 inches thick! I really don't think its anything exciting, just a previous owner being mad on concrete. There is an awful lot of rubble underneath the soil everywhere, the house is over 100 years old so I guess its just the passage of time. Keep finding remains of old toys that look like they are from the 70s, it's all a bit like Time Team, only without the annoying Tony Robinson & that bloke with the hat and beard. No gold yet though

Oh dear, long job ahead. Good luck!

Just been on Google Earth, and can see there was grass down in the 1980s, then what looks like a patio.

We decided to break up an old concrete hardstanding in the garden when we bought this house - it was getting on for a foot thick and took weeks!

I have done this in my own garden with slabs that were really substantial - up to a foot thick with the hardcore underneath. So I have literally felt your pain!

My advice:

• Get a mattock and some safety goggles. This is literally the BEST tool for breaking concrete by hand. The pointy end is great for getting through the stuff, the larger, blunt end is brilliant for lifting it.
• Work along the lines of least resistance (cracks "go" easier).
• Use a drill to create lines of less resistance if they are lacking!
• Try to wheel as much of the rubble as possible to a skip using a barrow, rather than constantly lifting trugs.
• Cancel your gym membership. You will be seriously ripped by the end of a season of doing this!

Oh, and maybe the most important thing of all

• Take it slowly and steadily, doing a bit at a time otherwise you will get injured unless you are used to lifting. We used to do a bit every evening after work.

Seriously, rent a concrete breaker! £25 for a weekend.

Good detective work, OP!

After a lot of digging about and scraping away 30 years of crap , I have revealed some classic Crazy Paving in slate that sits on top of the impenetrable concrete layer. On the basis that fashion is cyclical I am going to keep it as its sure to be in vogue sometime before I die.

Ignore the pile of post holders, that's from the decking.

good thinking ,I wonder what the history of the slate is ?

I misread Seriously, rent a concrete breaker! £25 for a weekend thinking breaker = bunker and there was some funky air bnb afoot !

Ooh, I was about to post looking for advice for a tree that I grow in a pot in my north/facing concrete slab of a front garden, but it looks as though a weekend with a concrete breaker would actually end up being cheaper than buying a load of planters or building raised beds. I'm quite tempted to have a go. How difficult is it?

BroomstickOfLove Do you know how thick the concrete is? I've used a breaker bar (a heavy metal pole about 5 ft long with pointed ends) to remove a path about 2 inches thick. Starting at the edge, I just lifted it up and dropped it to first crack it and then snap of small lumps. Make sure you remove all the rubble as the sand and cement in the mortar can damage the soil. Also, depending how long the soil has been covered, it can be pretty dry and life-less and will need a lot of organic matter adding to it.

Ifailed - I think that slate looks lovely! What a brilliant find! I'm made up for you - it's like your commitment to having a nice outdoor space has been rewarded by the gods of gardening.

Thank-you shovetheholly, I feel a pot-buying spree coming on!

It's a lovely looking bit of slate, there.