Small garden styles - Turf Vs. Seeding

I love the mix of real and turf in this magical vertical style garden (image)

Anyone who’s prepared a garden, especially a small garden such as courtyard or roof terrace has come across the age-old debate of whether it is more effective to turf or seed grass. There are benefits to both – but the cost, time, presentation and ongoing maintenance benefits vary. Not too sure where to start? Consider the following when you’re choosing between turf or seed.

Cost

Without a doubt, there is a cost differential between turfing and seeding. With turfing, someone else has done all the hard work. With seeding, the money you save usually means a lot more work for you, but if you enjoy gardening like we do then this will not be seen as an issue but if your busy and want something stylish and low maintenance than turf maybe the nest option. You’ll find the costs of preparation and ongoing maintenance, however, are similar. You need to ask yourself – is the investment in turf going to save you in time, effort and waiting for a finished product? Don’t write off turf because of a perceived cost difference – talk to turfing specialists like Hancey’s Turf for an idea on how turf can ultimately save you time and money. You might be pleasantly surprised!

Turf can be a good solution for small spaces and you can combined it with potted plants (image)

Timeliness

If you’re in absolutely no rush and have weeks, if not months, to spend getting your grass ready, go for seeding. If you’ve got the patience to meticulously weed emerging grass, choose seeding. If you have a month of Sundays to literally watch grass grow, seeding’s for you. If, however, you want to get that professional look in a weekend, you simply must choose turf. There really is no time comparison between the two – weeks of watching grass growing or having a functional lawn in a weekend. You choose.

Preparation

Preparing to turf or seed is quite similar. For both, you’ll need to ensure your ground is even with a gentle gradient for drainage. You’ll need to have an appropriate base or soil that you’ll need to bed down. Actually laying turf and planting seeds can be done in a similar timeframe, however, as demonstrated above, the results from seeding can take considerably more time.

You can use turf to add a touch of fun and colour to small veranda & balcony spaces (image)

Ongoing Maintenance

Once your turf is in, it’s up to you simply to water it and watch for any small weeds. It really is that easy. Seeding often has much more ongoing maintenance. Whilst your grass is growing, animals will be walking on it, birds will be dropping seeds in it and the wind will be blowing all manner of pollens over it, giving your seeded lawn that ‘patchwork’ look. You’ll find that unless you are very diligent during the seeding stage, you’ll have a lawn that looks like a cheaply prepared builders lawn, done ‘on the cheap’.

Presentation

Without a doubt, turf has a superior look and presentation. You’ll find your lawn has a uniformity that compliments your yard. With seeding, that professional look can be hard to achieve. The grass grows at different rates, you’ll often have breakouts of weeds and dry spots that spoil the overall look of your garden.

Mr A enjoying our garden which is more maintenance than turf but still very fun.

We have personally opted to go with grass from seed in our garden, although this does mean a lot more maintenance and work but it's something the little man and I love to do together and are already excited about planting out some new flowers and veggies this spring.


Have you recently prepared grass? What worked well for you? Did any of the above factors play into your considerations? Do you have any advice for those requiring grass? Share your ideas in the comments, below.


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