Absolute beginner - preparing soil for lawn HELP!

Hi all.

I'm very inexperienced with lawns and gardening in general and I could use some advice on a mini-lawn project I've set my heart on completing.

I have a patch of ground, about 2m square in my 'yard' that I am trying to convert to a lawn by sowing seed. The area in question is sunken down about 30cm, with concrete forming a rim on 3 sides, and the side of the property on the other.

The ground was covered with gravel and stones, which I have spend much of the day removing and sifting to try and get rid of the worst of it.

As I progress though, and dig into the ground, it seems to just be throwing up more and more small gravel, albeit it's looking a bit better now I've got rid of the large stones.

Am I wasting my time, or will I be able to use this ground as the base for a lawn? As the area is sunken, I was imagining I could buy some soil/compost to form a better soil on top of the gravel ridden underlayer, but as a complete novice I have no idea if I'm pursuing a pipe dream or if it's possible with what I have to work with.

Any advice for me would be very appreciated. I'm on a bit of a personal mission.. I must have my mini-lawn!

Thanks
AJ

 

Hi Alastair

Welcome to the forum.

Your idea is perfectly feasible.

What you are digging in will be the subsoil for your lawn. Remove any stones (as big as a walnut) and any solid patches of gravel or shingle. Then compact it - but not too much. Then you'll need at least 150mm layer of topsoil, which you can buy in bags from garden centres. 150mm should give you a lawn that will stay green for all but the driest months. Compact that layer too - again, not too much. Then you can sow your seed or......put down turfs. With a lawn as small as yours, turfs would be quite cheap and you'd have an instant lawn! You would need to let the turfs establish themselves but you could be sitting on it (carefully) in weeks.