Lay and look after a new lawn

Use this guide when creating a lawn from bare soil or replacing a worn one. Have a spade or rotavator, a rake, a roller or flat board, topsoil if needed, and your seed or turf ordered for delivery the day you lay it.

Step by step

1. Pick the right time

   Early autumn and mid spring are usually the best times, when the soil is warm and moist. Avoid laying turf or sowing in hot, dry spells or when the ground is frozen or waterlogged. Turf gives an instant result, while seed is cheaper but takes longer to establish.