"John" wrote in message
. uk...
Hi, I have a small front garden approx 60 sq.metres and wish to make
it into
a lawn (We already have a fair sized rear lawn). At present it
contains
various bushes, shrubs and plants which will all have to be taken
out.

Having done that what is the best way to proceed? I hear various
advice.
Should I put a membrane down to discourage weeds coming through, or
apply
strong weedkiller etc?

Depends quite a bit on the quality you want and how patient you are. A
lot of trade offs here (Rough and ready to a good but time and work
consuming job). It's a small area so if you want a quality job and you
can tolerate a long time with no lawn. Then this winter dig it all
over, removing as much unwanted vegetation as you can. Don't make too
much of a meal of the weeding - you're going to spray once or twice in
the spring. Keep an eye on the soil texture and drainage over the
winter and fix any problems when the soil is fit to work on in spring.
Spray off with a 'Glyphosate' based weedkiller as soon as you see a
substantial cover of weeds. Dig over again or rotavate, wait until the
next lot of weeds grows and spray them off.
If you've got this done before the end of April you'll be able prepare
a 'seedbed' and sow your seeds. Keep an eye on the weather forcasts
for spring sowing because you're approaching the time when you might
expect a long dry spell after sowing and that's bad. I prefer to sow
in late summer just before the August downpour, if you chose that
option you'd have loads of time for cleaning, levelling anf firming
the seedbed. Loads of info on the web about seedbed preparation and
sowing. If it's to be a good sturdy general purpose lawn that stays
green in dry weather don't be afraid of mixtures containg the modern
dwarf perennial Ryegrasses.
For a very high quality ornamental patch you might want to choose a
finer mix but it might be less tolerant of drought and will need a bit
more maintenance to keep it good.
HTH
--
Rod

My real address is rodthegardeneratmyisp