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On Aug 2, 10:08 pm, "JimR" wrote:
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On Jul 30, 10:24 pm, "JimR" wrote:

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On Jul 27, 12:14 pm, "Bob F" wrote:

Laurence wrote:

[--]
Basically I'm looking for the easiest why to level out our bumpy
garden and get some nice grass down before next summer !

Thanks

[Irrelevant comments from someone who hadn't read the question (which I've
repeated, above) snipped --]

You asked for the easiest way -- To repeat my answer to your question - In
my opinion, and backed up by having lived in the UK for awhile, the easiest
way to do what you want is to fill in the ruts and get some plugs of the
turf variety that suits your climate and give them a little time to grow in.
Anything else is overkill. I suggest this with experience living in the
U.S., Canada, Europe and Asia, and with a background that includes extensive
homeowner assistance programs for environmental horticulture.

There seems to be some background noise on this thread from someone who
didn't read your question, then tried to misread into the reasonable answer
things that were not there - who wants to apply a Pennsylvania solution to a
UK question. You don't need to kill off your existing turf just to improve
it, and you certainly don't need to go to the expense and trouble of
completely reseeding if your existing lawn is the way you've described it.

There are probably still some people around that have to use seed because
they can't afford anything better, but at least in this area I have not seen
anyone use seed to either start a new lawn or refurbish an older one. No
one - not the builders, not the golf courses, not the resorts, not the turf
farms, and certainly not the homeowners -- use seed. They all use sod,
sprigs and plugs, and both the state extension service and the Master
Gardener program recommend using sod and not seed. Everyone understands
that using sod produces a better, more weed-free lawn for a lot less effort.
It also takes much less water to maintain, important in many areas these
days. In this area, a lawn grown from seed is not going to be a quality
product.

Now, while this area is not the UK, this points out the benefits of using
sod, which is now the methodology of choice throughout much of North
America. If you can get sod plugs of the right variety in the UK, and my
experience suggests you can, then that's the easiest method, which answers
your question. I used to get my things from a chemist shop on the road
going west out of Greenham Common, where the proprietor dabbled in gardening
things at the side of his building, but I'm sure his shop is replicated in
other parts of the UK.

In fact, around here the only place I know of that uses seed is Fish and
Wildlife, which uses a coarse grass seed on its dove fields to attract birds
and get the fields ready for the fall dove season. So unless you're trying
to create a bait station within shotgun range . . .

Regards --