[I want a nice garden]

Good Afternoon Folks,

Firstly I would like to thank alot of you, for your wisdom, knowledge, comments and suggestions that I have read over the last few months on this site. It has made my life alot easier and fulfilling.

Anyway as a first time poster, my question is... what is the best way to level a lawn, i just can't get the levels in my head, and have now resorted to screading it, however the lawn is alot bigger than a 16ft 4x2.

I have read the sticky threads above and have found them very useful indeed, just looking for another perspective, something different, something you found out that made it alot easier.

Thanks for your help and look forward to your suggestions on this and many more queries that I have

[Geranimojess]

My personal opinion would be to hire a Rotavator for a Weekend { or 2 } you dont say how large/small the lawn is...Rotavate the Lawn until the soil is well and truly minced { fine soil }....Mark the area into workable sections starting at the highest section in the Garden raking the soil into the hollow parts.

When thats done insert wedges into the ground about 8ft apart and with a length of straight Timber and a Spirit Level straddling the wedges it will give you a level Lawn.....

If thats all to much you can always try filling the hollows with top soil and "casting your eye over the lawn" looking out for any hollows and top them up as you go along....

I dont know of any easier way but remember...the more effort you put in the better the results....



.

[Greengage]

cant disagree with the abovebut i would get a stone raker and set it to whatever height you want it will scrape off the high lumps and just rake over the lower ones then do as above, If you rotovate it you will incorporate air into the soil and when it settles you could end up where you started.

[I want a nice garden]

Thanks Geranimojess for your advice, the area covered is approx 50ft by 30ft, so its not a huge area overall, but is massive to a novice like me. Area was an existing lawn before, however alot of construction work recently and the lawns were compacted down and torn up, so i basically dug most of it up, then rotavated it, then brought in more topsoil, roughly 4-5 inches higher in one end, slopping to meet the old untouched(by machinery) lawn. I didn't think at all of screeding it like you would with concrete, I will do over the next few days though. I have so far rolled it and raked it a few times, got my ear to the ground and studied the topography of the area to see exactly the lumps and bump

[medieval knievel]

given the size of the digger in that photo, i don't think compaction should be too much of a concern.

[Qzy]

[Geranimojess]

From the Photo it does not look bad....if you section it and work on each area before moving on to the next you could have the lot done in a Day....you already have the hard part done....as for Air Pockets forming a cheap method to solving that is to gather all your Family / Friends form a line at one end linking Arms and proceed to "Baby step" the length of the Garden until the lot is "Walked".....then very lightly rake over.......

Charlie Dimmock {Groundforce} uses that method......Good luck......

PS... the majority of us are Novices at Gardening thats the enjoyable thing about it we're always learning......

[Geranimojess]

[I want a nice garden]

Right, I have now rolled it as you can see from the picture. however I think i have made it too compact. Yesterday was a extremely hot day, so it hardened very quickly, thankfully it rained last night, so I can rake it over a bit. I have also filled in any hallows and removed the lumps.

Thanks to all for your suggestions. Job nearly done now. Now onto the front lawn, where i have recently just got it ploughed up and awaiting the power harrow. The joys of spring as they say. Had to plough up the front as it grass never established as it was down near the subsoil, i have since dumped tonnes of topsoil on it, and plough it into the existing area.