Creating Lawn over old Tennis Court

[align=left]I'm shortly going to rip-up an old tennis court. I dug up half of it last year, and the clay under it stank and was horrid. I expect that is because it hasn't had any air since whenever the tennis court was laid - which is probably 15 years ago or more.

The half I took the top off last year has reluctantly sprouted a bit of grass this year (I didn't sow / do anything to it)

I have enough topsoil from clearing another area to put maybe 6" across the whole area.

What would you recommend?

My thoughts are to strip off the Type-1 (which will go down like concrete for a track I want to create), and then leave the mud-field I uncover to weather.

I wondered about sowing a green manure in it next spring (or now even)? A Legume perhaps to get some Nitrogen in before seeding it next Autumn.

I'd really like to get the top soil spread whilst clearing the top off the court in the next week or two, to save having to hire a digger again next year (and the mess it will manoeuvring round the garden), but I think that may be foolish.

I could perhaps try to "cultivate" the mud next year, to fallow it or to get some air in before planting a green manure next spring? I doubt I will have time to "dig" it this Autumn (jsut spade it over to let the air / frost in), although I could sort-of simulate that with the JCB

I may have some rough compost I could spread on it this Autumn - the old lawn mower clippings pile, that type of material.

Add some sand perhaps?
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Yes, that makes sense, thanks John. The topsoil is piled up just at the end of the court, so maybe it wouldn't be that hard to barrow it around the site over a period of time next summer.

What do you think about a green manure before sowing the lawn next Autumn?

 

If you really wanted to move the topsoil in the next couple of weeks you could Lime the area once cleared and then spread the topsoil. This coupled with the cold of winter would break down the clay. I use hydrated lime on heavy clay soils where the size of the area means cost is an issue, otherwise I ditch the lime and use a soil improver.

If it were me though I'd let nature do it's thing over winter, spread the soil in early March so it has time to settle and sow red clover or another nitrogen fixer so it's ready to be dug in in advance of next Autumn. If you can get some sand and compost into the clay now that would be a great bonus too.

Edit; Great blog by the way.

 

Very useful chaps, thanks.

I'm wondering about putting some drains in. I am thinking of hiring a chain-trenching machine to put in a pipe to the end as its a long way to stretch a hose when we need to water the far end now, let alone when we extend the garden. I could put the blue MDPE pipe in the bottom and a perforated drainage pipe above it with some gravel. Do I need to do the herringbone pattern with the drainage pipes, or would one down the middle make a difference? (or possibly two in parallel - under where I plant to plant some topiary plants)

 

Yeah, we had a spectacularly wet September. It looked a bit like a lake after a downpour, but there is no vegetation on it, and after an hour or so the surface water had gone. Good to be reminded of that, thanks John. I don't think the drainage is too bad after all now I think about it. Its just that "raw" it churns up to mud very easily, no big surprise. I think with some weathering this Winter, and a green manure to help it next year, and a covering of topsoil before sowing grass next Autumn it ought to be OK.

I'll run a land drain in the same trench as the water pipe, and if that proves not to be enough I'll convert that to herringbone-drainage later on