"Michael Brewer" wrote in message
om...
We've recently moved into a new house, and wish to make a few minor
alterations in the (smallish) garden, specifically to grass over part
of a flower bed surrounding the patio (our kids seem not to have the
ability to step over the bed to get to the lawn) and to remove a
dangerously leaning tree in the middle of the lawn. The latter we
have already done but it has left a crater in the lawn to fill; the
former will require raising/levelling of the soil to match the
surrounding lawn.

With the house we also inherited a reasonably-sized composter, full of
compost. I haven't seen what it's like, but this leads to my
question, which is:

Can you use compost (of the variable homemade variety) as a base for
lawns? I'd rather put the compost to use (we don't have a huge plot
to make a great deal of use with it, and a second composter is already
filling up), and avoid the cost of buying in loads of topsoil. On the
other hand, I gather that topsoil, from the right supplier (i.e. not
B&Q etc) is not overly expensive, so I would rather use that (or a
mixture of topsoil/compost?) if it will provide a better result.

Many thanks in advance,

Mike

I would shift soil off my flower /veg beds etc for the lawn and dig the
compost into the beds

"Franz Heymann" wrote in message ...

I would suggest that the compost is too valuable to just dump in a hole to
level it to lawn level.
2 parts topsoil to 1 part compost wouldmake a good basis for your purpose.

Franz

OK, thanks all for taking the time to reply. The message is unanimous
--- use topsoil, or at least use mostly topsoil!

Mike

"Franz Heymann" wrote in message ...

I would suggest that the compost is too valuable to just dump in a hole to
level it to lawn level.
2 parts topsoil to 1 part compost wouldmake a good basis for your purpose.

Franz

OK, thanks all for taking the time to reply. The message is unanimous
--- use topsoil, or at least use mostly topsoil!

Mike

"Franz Heymann" wrote in message ...

I would suggest that the compost is too valuable to just dump in a hole to
level it to lawn level.
2 parts topsoil to 1 part compost wouldmake a good basis for your purpose.

Franz

OK, thanks all for taking the time to reply. The message is unanimous
--- use topsoil, or at least use mostly topsoil!

Mike

Xref: kermit uk.rec.gardening:191739

The message
from "Franz Heymann" contains these words:

I would suggest that the compost is too valuable to just dump in a hole to
level it to lawn level.
2 parts topsoil to 1 part compost wouldmake a good basis for your purpose.

But in a couple of years or three would result in a depression almost a
third the size of the present one as the compost decays.

Far better to fill the hole with topsoil and rake some compost into the
top three inches.

You are almost certain to have a non-matching area of grass though,
whatever you do. You can mitigate this by taking small plugs of the
existing grass and planting them in the patch. It will take longer to
establish lawn there though.

Why not plant another tree there?

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

The message
from "Michael Brewer" contains these words:
"Jaques d'Alltrades" wrote in message
...

Why not plant another tree there?


Now there's some lateral thinking! It's a good plan, but there are already
five mature trees in a garden measuring only around 30ft by 55ft, so I'm
thinking we have enough, especially with kids wanting room to play football
etc.

Get a tall one and convert them to basketball?

I've found a few suppliers of topsoil around us, mostly offering around 1
cubic metre or 1 ton for between £45 and £55, including delivery. Would you
say that was reasonable? Screened through a 25mm screen --- does that sound
suitable for my purpose? One is offering a choice of local (Oxfordshire) or
Norfolk topsoil, the latter slightly dearer and apparently "coming out a
little wetter at the moment" than the local offering.

Sounds suitable but a bit expensive to me. Topsoil can of course, vary,
and what is dug in one place can be totally different from some dug only
yards away.

Living in Norfolk, I could show you places where you could dig a load of
sticky boulder clay, bit a hundred yards one way would put you into deep
black peat.

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

The message
from "Michael Brewer" contains these words:
"Jaques d'Alltrades" wrote in message
...

Why not plant another tree there?


Now there's some lateral thinking! It's a good plan, but there are already
five mature trees in a garden measuring only around 30ft by 55ft, so I'm
thinking we have enough, especially with kids wanting room to play football
etc.

Get a tall one and convert them to basketball?

I've found a few suppliers of topsoil around us, mostly offering around 1
cubic metre or 1 ton for between £45 and £55, including delivery. Would you
say that was reasonable? Screened through a 25mm screen --- does that sound
suitable for my purpose? One is offering a choice of local (Oxfordshire) or
Norfolk topsoil, the latter slightly dearer and apparently "coming out a
little wetter at the moment" than the local offering.

Sounds suitable but a bit expensive to me. Topsoil can of course, vary,
and what is dug in one place can be totally different from some dug only
yards away.

Living in Norfolk, I could show you places where you could dig a load of
sticky boulder clay, bit a hundred yards one way would put you into deep
black peat.

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/