Making a new lawn
The lawn was going to be the last thing that I did because of needing to estimate how much more soil I would need. However, I changed my mind because September is a very good time to sow seed, and there’s still a chance that I might be ready to do the sowing this month if (1) the weather is favourable and (2) my back doesn’t give up.
So I ordered 20 bags of compost from The Compost Centre and started digging. You can see where I have got to by the change in colour of the soil. It seemed like quite a daunting task at first because it’s so tiring that I don’t let myself do more than 1.5 hours in a session. I have mixed in 11 bags of subsoil from digging out the octagonal pond, and several bags of unwanted topsoil donated by my parents. Their soil is chalk, so I have put it towards the middle of the lawn area so it won’t affect any ericaceous plants I grow next to the lawn. I still have 10 bags of compost left to add. And I am over halfway there.
Digging over the lawn area
That is, halfway there in area. In terms of work it may be less than halfway because most of the area I have dug over so far has been dug over before. I am now coming to the part which was seeded by the builders and has never been cultivated. I have dug up three large chunks of breezeblock, a tub of tile adhesive and several plastic bags, among other things.
The forecast is good, and I have some leave from work coming up, so if my back can hack it, then the lawn might be sprouting by the end of the month! What I need to do soon is to try and estimate whether I need any more soil to finish the job, and order it if I do need some.