Many thanks for lots of good advice

John


"Rod" wrote in message
...
"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