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Notebook · Guide 1 October 2026 · lawns

Making a new lawn: seed or turf, and the preparation that matters more than either

Seed is cheaper with more choice; turf is instant. When to sow and when to lay, how to prepare the ground, laying turf like brickwork, and when you can first mow and walk on it.

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Bare prepared soil being firmed by a gardener shuffling across it on their heels, shown from the knees down in plain boots.
1Firm the prepared soil by shuffling across it on your heels.

The seed-or-turf debate gets a lot of attention, but the RHS's verdict is the useful one: good soil preparation is the key. A lawn sown or laid on badly prepared ground will be patchy and uneven whichever you choose. Get the ground right and both work well. Autumn is one of the best times to do it.

In pictures

  1. Turves laid in staggered rows like brickwork on raked soil, with gloved hands pressing them down from a plank on the laid turf.
    2Lay turf in staggered rows like brickwork, working from a plank.
  2. Lawn seed being sown in two directions across prepared soil, suggested by two faint crossing arcs of scattered seed.
    3Sow half the seed one way and half across for even cover.
  3. A newly laid lawn with one piece of turf being tugged gently by a hand to test whether it has rooted.
    4If a piece doesn't lift when tugged, it has rooted.

01Seed or turf?

Seed is cheaper, comes in more mixes (shade, hard-wearing, fine), is easy to carry and can wait until conditions are right. It's slower to establish.

Turf gives an instantly attractive result, but costs more and should ideally be laid within 24 hours of delivery — if you can't, unroll it and keep it watered.

02When

  • Sowing seed: September to November, or March to April. Early autumn is best — the soil is warm and roots establish over winter.
  • Laying turf: mid-autumn (best) to early spring. Avoid mid-spring to early autumn; turf laid in spring needs much more watering through summer.

03Preparing the ground (both)

  1. Clear perennial weeds completely.
  2. Dig or cultivate to about 20cm, adding organic matter to light, sandy soil.
  3. Leave it to settle — ideally for five or six weeks.
  4. Level it, filling hollows and raking down bumps.
  5. Firm by treading — shuffle across the whole area on your heels.
  6. Rake in several directions to a fine, level surface.

04Sowing seed

  1. Sow at the rate on the packet, half one way and half across for even cover.
  2. Rake in lightly and water with a fine spray.
  3. Expect germination in about 7–10 days.
  4. First mow when the grass is 5–7.5cm tall: firm the surface again first, then take off only about a third.
  5. Keep heavy use off it for several months — the RHS suggests autumn-sown lawns aren't used properly until about the following June.

05Laying turf

  1. Lay the first row along a straight edge.
  2. Work forward from planks laid on the new turf, never on the prepared soil.
  3. Stagger the joints like brickwork and push each piece tight against its neighbours — no gaps, no stretching.
  4. Firm it down and water thoroughly.
  5. Don't let it dry out. In dry spells, water deeply rather than little and often — shallow wetting gives shallow roots.
  6. First mow about three weeks after laying, once a piece doesn't lift when you tug it. Use the highest setting.
Save your money
Seed costs a fraction of turf for the same area — if you can wait.
Don't skip the settling time and pay for it later in a bumpy lawn.
Fertiliser is optional before turfing; the preparation matters far more.

How we checked this

Every care and safety claim on this page is verified against horticultural and veterinary sources.

Sources: RHS — Starting a lawn from seed · RHS — How to lay turf

Checked 1 October 2026. If our advice ever conflicts with the RHS, believe them and tell us.