ᐅ Establishing a New Lawn (Tilling the Existing Area...)

Hello everyone,
We plan to start the exterior work on our property in autumn this year or spring next year.

We have an area of about 1200 sq m (12,917 sq ft) behind the house, mostly planted with grass. There is a hedge around the perimeter, along with some bushes, and a compost heap for green waste.
We want to install a carport there, as well as a small vegetable garden (~20-30 sq m (215-323 sq ft)).
Everything else, like play equipment for the children, will go on the lawn.

Now to our problem.
The lawn—or rather, there is hardly any grass left. Mostly weeds, moss, and patches of remaining turf.

We would now like to ask a farmer to plow the land so we can plant new grass.
Unfortunately, we don’t really know how to proceed and haven’t done much research yet.

We’d appreciate your opinion:
The area is estimated to be around 900-1000 sq m (9,688-10,764 sq ft). If we divide it and have the farmer plow 50% in autumn 2019, then plant grass—would that still be possible before winter?
Then do the other half in spring 2020?

Or is that nonsense?

We have also consulted a landscaping company about some things; they will include a quote for the area as well.
Could you tell us roughly what something like this costs and what would be a fair price?
The offer is not available yet.

Do you have any other tips on what to watch out for if we do everything ourselves?
Or would you approach it in a completely different way?

Thank you very much for your help!

Plowing is definitely a good idea. Do everything in the fall and then leave it over winter. Like a field. In spring, weeds will start to grow. They need to be removed. Apply Roundup once. Then harrow—that means leveling the plowed soil with a rake. Sow grass seed in May and roll it with a lawn roller. Wait. Done.

With all due pragmatism, nordlys

Nordlys schrieb:

In spring, the weeds start growing. They have to be removed. One spray with Roundup.

I don’t find that very compatible with these preferences.

"A small vegetable garden will be created (~20-30 square meters (215-320 square feet)). Everything else, like play equipment for the children, will go on the lawn."

Please, no Roundup! Especially not around children!

I would recommend plowing and sowing in October. My lawn, which was sown in spring and carefully maintained with regular watering, unfortunately did not survive the hot and dry summer (and spring) in many spots :-( All that work was wasted!

The lawn sown in autumn was strong enough by summer.

If the lawn establishes well, not much weed will come through. If weeds do appear, you can still decide how to handle them. Roundup is not a solution for us, even though we currently have more weeds than grass in the front yard! It will be scarified soon, and before that, I’ve already pulled out about 90%.

Thanks first of all for your opinions and tips!

That’s why I suggested doing it in two phases. We didn’t want the garden—or rather the field—not to be accessible from autumn until May/June, especially because of the children. We don’t need a perfectly manicured lawn here, but definitely something needs to be done. In one spot, nothing grows at all anymore, as you can see in the picture...

We really need to think it through again to figure out what makes the most sense. Especially since we will definitely still be busy with the interior renovation until mid-October. But waiting another year... phew...

Thank you all for your advice!

Roundup does not harm children at all; they are not supposed to eat it. The area can be freshly seeded again 48 hours after applying the product. Please have proper knowledge before criticizing.