Early autumn is the perfect time to sow a new lawn while the soil is warm and damp and it will cost you less than turfing. There are grass seed mixes available to suit every garden, from shady spots to gardens with low rainfall.
What to do
Prepare the soil by removing large stones and weeds, and roughly levelling. Fork over and rake level. Firm the soil by walking over, placing weight on your heels and rake again. Two days before the seed is to be sown, lightly rake in a granular fertiliser.
Use canes to mark out the area to be sown into square metres. Shake the box to mix up seeds and weigh out to cover each square metre into a container and mark the level on the outside. Spread at 50g per square metre or at the rate it says on the packet.
Split each 50g in half and scatter seed in one direction across a square and then spread the rest in the opposite direction. After sowing, lightly rake over the area and water.
Don’t let the soil dry out until the grass is established and stretch fruit netting across the site to prevent birds from eating the seed.
