I am now committed to a full body boot camp over the next couple of days. The weather looks like the best it’s going to be for the forseeable future so I’ve booked in delivery of 1.5m of sandy loam, which I then get to shovel into a wheelbarrow for transport to the back yard. I’ve been warming up with carting bagged mulch and compost, so hopefully this won’t kill me too badly.

If all goes to plan there should be enough there to do a bit of top dressing of the tiny patch of grass at the front to even up a few holes and put a bit on the naturestrip to even that up a bit too, but the bulk is going to the back to try to make it a bit less lumpy. I’ll probably want to do another layer in autumn, but I’ll see how it goes.

I have decided the subject of grass varieties and the best blends is way too complicated for my level of interest. I picked one that is not kikuyu based and is supposed to be hardy. It’s from the landscaping company and one they recommend for the area so hopefully it goes ok. I think for a long-term investment if I wanted a good lawn I’d go for buffalo grass, but it’s only available as turf. I think that’s what’s at the front, and it definitely needs less mowing than the grasses at the back.