When you dig a flowerbed or vegetable patch from scratch, use the upended turf to patch up bare or damaged spots in your lawn. Such homegrown turf may not be as flawless as the commercial product, but it will match your lawn, making mends invisible.
Strip the turf from the new planting area by cutting it into 12in/300mm squares with a sharp spade and turning it over right in place. With an old butcher knife or machete, shave most of the soil from the roots so that the pieces of turf are no more than 2in/50mm thick.
Prepare bare spots for patching by loosening the soil to a depth of 4in/100mm. Remove half the soil to ensure the turf is even with the lawn.
If the bare patch in the lawn was caused by a spillage of herbicide or petrol, remove and replace all the loosened soil. If a dog was the cause of the damage, neutralise the soil with a handful of gypsum.
Cut the turf pieces to size and fit them into the gap, sifting compost into the cracks to protect the roots from drying out. Water well.
