To turf or not to turf?

Although the garden is coming along quite nicely there are still large tracts of earth where there should be grass.

Friends told me of an innovative product – grass gel!!  I am led to believe that you can now spray a lawn into existence!?  The gel which is coloured green (better than purple I guess) has lawn seed, fertiliser, and water feed and one simply sprays a lawn into existence, ten days later up pops the grass…

Well it might just work, but remember this is Italy where tomorrow is the key word.  Since last October we have been waiting for the guys to come and quote and to show us an exampe of their work, and I guess I would need a hairdresser to spray the gel (I’ve had a zero cut for years and have no idea how to use gel) and keep the grass cut nicely 🙂

Last year I put down lawn seed and spent many riveting hours watching the ants carrying off the seed, much to their delight and my chagrin!  Result baldy lawns.  So I wanted to try the gell.  Until very recently it has been too wet and cold to attempt a lawn, soon it will be too hot and dry and I need lawn urgently – I just love walking up and down, backwards and forwards behind the lawn-mower.

Seriously I looked into turf.  Friends have had differing results.  I guess it is all in the preparation of the soil and the aftercare.  Turf here in Italy tends to be grown in the north of the country.  In itself it is not toooo expensive, however the transport makes it plain costly.  I was in the garden store in Gubbio and witnessed a delivery of guess what, not the flowering plants I need to put in the pots for Easter, but turves.

I enquired, they have 50mq as yet unsold. Ok, now do I spend an astonishing amount of money to turf the upper terrace, or try again with seed.  Both need preparation with the rotovator, the turf will give instant gratification just what your average gay guy wants, but then there is the gel too… hum…