Levelling a garden/soil

[marge simpson]

I personally dug up my front garden and made a gravel driveway, as you can imagine I had quite alot of soil and stone to remove. As I had a sloping back garden, I took it all and dumped it there with the intention of levelling it.

Problem is that on the sloped side of the garden is part wire fence (approx 5ft) and bushes.

The soil is obviously too hard to do anything with now, but when it warms up a bit I would like to know the best option to try and flatten it.

Question - would a garden roller be heavy enough (used this on my driveway) to flatten it, or should I just level best I can with a spade and then roll it???

Any advice very much appreciated.

Hayley

 

[Diyisfun]

It will sink in its own time, walking on it will speed it up though.

 

[marge simpson]

Thanks for the prompt reply.

The soil isn't in a place that would be walked on. Unless I get some wellies out and stamp on it a bit!!! Or stamp on it alot!!!

Wanted to try and hurry it up a bit though so it will sort of be ready for the summer, and maybe at some point be able to concrete it to extend the length of my other driveway.
Or maybe put a swing or slide on it.

Not sure how i can hurry it along though.

 

[masona]

Hire a wacker plate, not sure if it's okay on mud or a mini digger, I would use a shovel and level it the best you can

 

[Thermo]

wacker plate wont really do a great deal on soil and theyre bloody hard to get across them if its the slighteset bit damp asthey pull the moisture up and turn it into a mud bath. Let nature take its course, aided by stamping on it.

 

[marge simpson]

So the best way to hurry it along is to level it as best I can, then get mywellies out and stamp it down??

 

[masona]

I've forgotten the name of it now, a pole with a heavy square plate on the bottom.

 

[JohnD]

Rake it level while it's loose.

 

[marge simpson]

Hey John, you are helping me with two things now!!

The soil at the moment isnt loose, there are alot of clumps in it and some stones. and with this weather its probably quite solid too.

I did have it level at one point, and it looked quite good, just needed some grass seed, but then i had to add more soil (well clumps) from the driveway and now it is awful and was hard to do anything with so I left it.

I think you are all right, rake, spade and then stamp!!!

 

[WabbitPoo]

Once it has thawed you might consider hiring a Rotavator or a heavier cultivator to break it up again, as a winter of wetness will have made it compact quite a lot onto itself.Once broken up again, raking becomes a lot easier, though you'll still get that blister on the back of your thumb where the rake handle rubs!

 

[marge simpson]

Ha ha. I know what the blisters feel like, as I dug out my front garden on my own and made a driveway.

What should I use to compact it down and get the firmness back??? Once its levelled of course, garden roller, wacker plate??

 

[Thermo]

a: refer to my earlier answer not a wacker plate

b: what are you intending to do with it ie plant it, turf it etc?

 

[marge simpson]

Sorry Thermo, you are right, wacker plate no good, and thinking about it a garden roller may not be that good either. When I used it on the drive to compact the gravel slightly, it kept pulling up the gravel with bits of mud too.

Am intending to grass seed it to begin with, so it gives me an extra bit of garden, but thinking that at some point (quite a way away) maybe slabing it, or even concreting it to extend my other driveway.

Not sure, I think though that grass seed at mo.

 

[Thermo]

in that case you dont want to compact it that much. As wabbit poo says, use a rotovator to break up the top soil. Rake it to get it roughly level, then tramp all over it (tramp not stamp) just to slightly compact the ground. re rake it again to lightly break it up and then seed it. (thats a very quick guide in a nutshell) Nature will take its course and compact it down over time. Compact it too much and you wont grow anything and youll have drainage problems.

 

[marge simpson]

Thank you all for all of your help. Very much appreciated. Ive got 2 other threads going about radiator and fences if anyone can help

Thanks again to you all.