Too early to start soil preparation?

HardyEustace

Sorry, if this seems like a blindingly obvious question. I've kept an eye on the forum to see if I can figure out the answer but the answer is no!

My plan is to start on my garden this year. It's the garden of a 4year old new build. 5m x 10m, downward slope. Apart from spraying with round up and de-stoning a little, nothing has been done. Bit morto about that but this summer will the summer of the garden.

Basically I know my steps are
1. clear weeds / stones
2. rotivate
3. level (it's on a downward slope)
4. put down paving
5. lay lawn

It's been so cold and the ground has been so cold, my question is - is it too early to rotivate?

I'm based in Galway city suburbs so whilst we escaped the bad snows, it's still very cold and we've had frost over the last few nights.

thanks, and once again, sorry if this is a complete numpty question.

aerosol

You need to wait until your ground isn't too wet or else you'll end up with a big muddy mess if you rotovate

glanman

I would say it is still too cold, here are the current ground temperatures

http://www.met.ie/latest/agricultural.asp

Are you seeding grass or buying sod?

HardyEustace

glanman wrote: »

I would say it is still too cold, here are the current ground temperatures

http://www.met.ie/latest/agricultural.asp

Are you seeding grass or buying sod?

It depends on the cost to be honest.

I'm mid terrace, the gate for the garden is at the bottom left hand corner. However there's no path to the gate.

I'm more than happy to wait for the lawn but the big problem is that I need to get started on the paving. For the paving, it will only be human traffic and wheelie bins that are going on it. I want to pave an arc at the top of the garden, then have a diagonal path leading to the gate.

So I think by the time the paving is done that I'll only have 50-60% of the 50m2 to lawn. Thus maybe sod would be the best way to go. However, I need to get that paving started asap.

So it's not so much the lawn as preparation for the paving, if you know what I mean. Sorry, if I've made a simple solution sound very complicated!

glanman

well with the paving it is important to have the right base, some form of hardcore, have that level and solid so that:
a. it is level and flat
b. that weeds don't come through.

maybe the guys in the construction/DIY might have a bit more help for you.

With the lawn sod is expensive and if you are will to wait seed is better, but then again if your ground is crap, which it often is in estates, sod may be the best option.

I don't know a huge amount about either of these so as I said maybe post in the construction/DIY forum

HardyEustace

glanman wrote: »

well with the paving it is important to have the right base, some form of hardcore, have that level and solid so that:
a. it is level and flat
b. that weeds don't come through.

maybe the guys in the construction/DIY might have a bit more help for you.

With the lawn sod is expensive and if you are will to wait seed is better, but then again if your ground is crap, which it often is in estates, sod may be the best option.

I don't know a huge amount about either of these so as I said maybe post in the construction/DIY forum

There's a good few posts on paving that I've been reading up on here.

Bit worries about the weeds alright! And the drainage. Since the garden is sloped I don't know whether to try and work around the natural slope or put a step in about halfway down to counter this.

However, I will be bringing wheelie bins up and down the path so the last thing I want is a step that I've to wrestle wheelie bins up and down on a weekly basis

Will post a few photos later on, though I'm absolutely morto over the state of the whole thing!

My gut feeling is that it probably is too early for soil preparation. I might just try and get the path done at the gate so that I have a path to the shed (that's going to go down by the bottom of the garden by the garden gate) and then get the path at the top of the house done. The soil there is non-existent/rubbish/full of rubbish so it won't make a blind bit of different if it gets a bit churned up. However, I'm worried that if I try and put in paths first that it'll just end in disaster. Thus maybe doing the top and bottom might work. The end path might get a bit destroyed though so thinking of just putting in the hard core, covering it wtih sand and then putting cobbles down at the end when all the heavy stuff has gone through.

Thanks for all the advice and help.

HardyEustace

thanks to people for their help. Here's a few pictures of the garden. it's 5m x 10m with a garden gate at the end. Ltos of work. Bit overwhelmed by it all right now.