Laying turf

If you don’t want to grow a new lawn from seed and you don’t want me to come and do it for you, then turf is another option.  Again, best done in autumn as the grass can root easily while not being baked in the sun.

Turf will establish itself fairly easily if the soil is warm and moist.  As with grass seed, there are different types of lawn designed to suit different needs.  Ensure you choose the one that is right for you.  Most garden stores will deliver the turf to your door too.  When it arrives ensure you store it in the shade and sprinkle with water to keep it moist.  You must aim to have it down as quickly as possible to get the best result.

Prepare the ground as with seeding.  Cleaning it up and removing larger stones and raking.  Walk over the are and rake again.  Add a granular fertilizer a couple of days before your plan to lay.

Have a straight edge ready for laying.  You can butt up to a path or flower bed if you have one, or a long plank like a scaffold plank will suffice if not.

Lay the first row along the straight edge slowly so you don’t damage the turf.  Butt the edges against each other and the edge, then tamp down firmly with the back of the rake.  This will ensure good contact with the ground.

Continue laying the rows of turf so they are tight against one another and arrange them like bricks so they overlap.  It is easiest to lay over edges then trim back with a spade or cutting tool.  This will give you the best edge, and ensure you don’t trim short.