Need abit of advice on how to level this muddy garden

[Danturboc]

Hi I'm trying to level this garden in preparation for either turf or fake grass, I haven't decided which yet but either way I need it level and firm.

The garden used to be all concrete so this was all smashed up and dug up back to the clay/mud that you can see now. It's basically a large mud bath, I'm struggling to do anything with it. I have a petrol wacker plate that I tried to use on it but it just gets stuck as it's all damp ground.

Any ideas where I'm going wrong? Any help appreciated

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

What's wrong with a spade to even out the highs and lows? Don't know why you think a whacker is appropriate.

 

[Danturboc]

Well it was more to compact it all abit rather than to level it as it's all very soft

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Why would you want to compact it if turfing?

 

[Nozzle]

Get yourself a £60 electric tiller from Aldi and a dumpy bag of sand to mix in. Shovel the sand about, and turn it all in with the tiller. Once the soil is soft the tiller flings it about and you can use this action to move the soil from A to B. Once it's broadly flat, roll and seed/turf

Nozzle

 

[ray.birch]

Couple of things that I would note, as I've recently been in a similar position (terrible ground to start with, excavated to near level, and then left to me to turf on mostly clay).

Someone else has queried why you're wanting to compact the soil - this is important, especially if you have clay. Doing so will mean water has nowhere to drain, and once you lay turf, you'll still end up with a boggy mess after a while!

Drainage: there are a couple of other forums posts on what to do when dealing with clay (French drains and the like).

The approach that I have personally taken is: remove a little more clay first. Buy substantial amounts of manure and compost. Buy an electric triller to mix this in with the clay to give the soil more structure and allow better drainage. Press this down lightly. Once you have an acceptable (and somewhat level) subsoil, then cover with a few inches of topsoil. If it's dry and friable, you should find it pretty easy to level with just a rake.

Hope this helps!