Help with hard compacted garden

Brego888

Looking for some advice to improve a new garden.
It's a year old, small 10m x 10m in a new development.
Builders threw down some grass seed and left. It hasn't been in great shape but I've done a fair bit of work over last 3 months, re seeding large bare areas, removing a lot of weed and rubble, adding some top soil and put on some 4 in 1 a few weeks ago.

It definitely looks a lot better now. 2 before and 2 after photos attached.

But the soil though (dirt really) is extremely compacted, dry and hard under foot. Sore to walk in bare feet for the children. I've been watering it a fair bit to encouraging the new grass seed to take which has mostly worked but I'm aware this probably doesn't help the compaction of the whole garden.


My question is how can I treat the soil as well as the grass? Is there anything to add that will soften up or improve the soil quality?
I obviously don't want to be digging it up again if it can be avoided.
Aesthetically the grass looks quite good now but the garden is just hard and uncomfortable.

looksee

For new grass in the weather we have been having for the past few weeks your garden is doing exceptionally well. Now is not the time to do anything, the ground is like concrete and on newish lawn is likely to still have rough bits and small stones that make the surface feel rough.

If the surface is still unsatisfactory after a few weeks of intermittent soft rain then you might consider improving it. Just hope the weather does not break with a mighty downpour that cannot be absorbed, that could cause more issues, but for the moment I would suggest you just live with it and revisit the situation in the autumn.

Brego888

I've been reading a bit about using gypsum to help loosen up soil in gardens.
Is this something I could try at some stage or would it damage/disrupt the already established grass?