[mdjlucan]

This section of ground, I have taken the grass off. I've not turned it over yet what's the best way forward ?

[Yorkie]

I would dig it over properly now.

What do you hope to grow there?

[mdjlucan]

I'm not sure yet

[Yorkie]

Well it's probably worth waiting until you've decided what you want to grow there, before you put any fertilisers onto it - some plants prefer different types of fertilisers.

[Gellideg]

Hello.I do not wish to alarm you,but as a retired farmer,may I just mention this for you to bear in mind.Many years ago when I lived in Cheshire,one way farmers found that they could afford to buy very overpriced farmland was to turf it.The turf was sold on to contractors that would pay very good money for good turf to use in new build housing in the Manchester area.But the farmers soon realised that they were losing a huge amount of fertility from the top inch or two of turf/soil.Do you see where I am going?
Plenty of manure,and I mean PLENTY dug in,and then on the top to plant your crop would be my suggestion.
I dug a lawn in 4 years ago.In the Autumn to let the turf rot over winter.The first year you may have a few lumpy bits if you rotovated into the rotting turf,but you will get a bountifull crop from it for sure.Year 2 on,you would not know the turf was ever there.
Should I have minded my own business? -I hope not.  Regards  John.

[sunshineband]

I am going to echo you to some extent Gellidig, as our plot is on previous pastureland and lacked much in the way of organic matter or available nutrients when we took it on.

Manure sounds an excellent suggestion, so long as mdjlucan doesn't try to grow carrots or parsnips next season of course

[Paul Plots]

With luck you will have piled the turf up so the grass cannot be seen.... in a year or so the grass will have rotted and you will have some lovely loam to put back into the ground.

I found cutting and lifting turf hard going so used an old rotovator to skim the surface and then dig over the larger part of my new plots made from what once was my cousins huge back lawn! As Gellideg says... the top layer of soil and everything growing in it disappeared into the soil.

A bit of raking and loads of weeding during the first year has left me with a couple of decent growing spaces.

A compost heap has produced some good material to add to the soil. I have never added manure apart from processed chicken manure pellets.

Hope it goes well for you - your soil looks beautifully clean - good luck.

[mdjlucan]

 What's the grass off last week now I've turned it over

[mdjlucan]

this is it

[snowdrops]

Have you decided what route to go down next?

[mdjlucan]

I'm going to cover it now in
 Horse manure and leave it

[JayG]

Sounds like a good plan - hope you remember to check it for buried Saxon gold treasure before burying it in horse muck!