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Ask a Gardening QuestionGarden Design: Garden Design QuestionsLevelling off new build garden so …

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Levelling off new build garden soil for a lawn?

#1 · 10th February 2024, 11:01 am

Hi everyone,

I have moved into my new build in March of 2023 and had an utterly vile gardening landscape to battle with. Having lay the patio and put in the retaining wall and steps I now need to level the ground off to a certain point before I go in with top soil and then turf in the summer.

However I have no idea where to even start to look for just something to help level the ground off. Do I need just dirt? Can I use something else that isnt top soil so its stable for my eventual plants to grow out properly?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

#2 · 12th February 2024, 8:04 am

Hi @hchandler1994

When it comes to levelling off the ground, once it has been landscaped, terraced or had walls built, choosing the right soil is important. The old saying of 'Rubbish in, rubbish out'!

Without seeing a picture, it's hard to fully advise, but if the building works have been done to level off your garden, you want to invest in really good topsoil to then level out the garden. There's no point using MOT or other building rubble to help bulk up the garden, as you're just giving your poor plants a challenging starting point in life. It can also lead to flooding and subsidence over time compared to properly compacted top soil.

What you may need to do is use a compactor for the first few levels of soil just lightly to get rid of the air. It all depends on the size of the area you're filling; this is where a photo would help. If not, you could always use your feet with a sideways walk to compact the topsoil to stop it from settling.

Using a large rake can help you manoeuvre the soil around to get it level.