How to Plant Grass Over a Garden

Prepare the seedbed for your new lawn. Dig up or pull out any weeds in the old garden and discard. Rake the soil until smooth and remove large stones.

Pour the grass seed into your drop spreader. Set the dial to the one-half corresponding application rate shown on the grass seed bag.

Walk behind the spreader and push it over the prepared seed bed. Walk back and forth across the seedbed in paths right next to each other. Once the entire seed bed has been traversed, walk back and forth across it again in paths that are 90 degrees to the first set.

Rake the soil gently to cover the seeds lightly. Tamp down to ensure greater seed to soil contact.

Place enough sprinklers around the seedbed to ensure total coverage and set them to water the area for five to 10 minutes duration two to three times per day.

Watch for complete germination of your grass seed. Depending on the seed you purchased that can be anywhere between seven and 28 days. Once germination is complete, gradually reduce watering until you are only watering once or twice per week, but putting down 1 to 1 1/2 inches of water per week.

Perform the first mowing of your new grass when it reaches approximately 3 inches high. Continue to mow frequently enough that you remove no more than one-third of the grass blade at each mowing.