Making a lawn from scratch

[badhorsey]

I've got a garden. It's not a very nice one and until recently, had had no work done on it in the best part of 20 years. That's all changing and I've got it down to the point where I can actually see the ground and cleared most of the bindweed away.

The garden is, I guess, 30' x 15' and slopes downwards to about 2' below the starting point. There's a central path, flanked by two soil beds. What I would really like to have is a lawn. I am guessing that this will involve levelling the garden off first. My question is - can I just dump a huge load of soil on top of what's already there or will I need to break up the path first? Does grass require deep roots?

This is all very new to me, so any advice would be very welcome!

[carlton23]

The Bindweed is the biggest problem to get rid of. New topsoil is a good idea if you can afford it but bindweed will have to be a constant worry. To save me a lot of explaining, google `Bindweed Eradication`. As to depth of soil , grass will grow in any depth but a lawn requires good preparation beforehand, good drainage a very important factor. Buy ready cut rolled-up grass from a reputable nursery and be sure to check it before they cut it up and don`t have it delivered until the rains come. I expect `Hawkwood` will give further advise.

[buildersmate]

You don't say what the path is made of, but whether slabs or just packed down soil, it will prove an impervious material to the passage of water. Which will make the new soil over it tend to waterlog and the grass won't grow so well. Better to spend the time in preparation and break up the material underneath to a depth of say a spade's depth.