Making a grass area on concrete

[asugiono]

Hi! We've got a small space in our paved courtyard we were hoping to turn into a grass area. The space is about 3m x 1.5m. We're currently thinking of getting some timber sleepers to make a garden bed frame, and then filling it with rocks (for drainage), soil and topped with some turf. Will this work? How much/how deep do we need the rocks and soil to be? Also, where could we possibly get such a small amount of turf - everywhere I've looked has a minimum amount of 30sqm! Based in Melbourne inner east.

Note: courtyard is mostly shaded

Any advice welcome - total newbie when it comes to landscaping

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's fantastic to have you join us and many thanks for your question.

I believe your idea will certainly work. I would encourage you to check out @Adam_W's article: How to build a simple raised garden bed.

I'd advise you to use 200mm wide sleepers as these should give you ample depth for grass to grow in. It would be a good idea to line the bottom of the bed with drain matting. This will prevent excess soil and contaminants leaching out onto your paving. You could add rocks if you wanted to, but I don't think they are a necessity. You should fill 1/2 of the bed with garden soil and then another 50mm layer of lawn top dressing on top of that. 

You can purchase rolls of grass from Bunnings stores. Their coverage is generally one meter squared.

You should find this step-by-step tutorial helpful: How to lay turf

Please let me know if you need further information or had any questions.

Mitchell

[asugiono]

Thank you so much for your response Mitchell, that's very helpful! 

Will be giving this a try over the next couple of weekends. Cheers.