When is the best time to sow grass seed in the UK?

As mentioned previously, no individual month is ideal for planting grass seed. However, the best months to sow grass seed in the UK are from March to October, weather permitting, of course!

So, plan your grass seed sowing around the weather!

The temperatures need to be right before you begin sowing grass seed. For your lawn to grow, temperatures need to be at least 10 °C day and night for about two weeks. And if the temperatures are not right, it’s quite likely that your seedlings will not grow.

You should start seeing suitable grass seed-growing temperatures around March in the UK. So, wait until at least this month before starting any grass seed sowing! However, there are areas of the UK where consistent temperatures of 10 °C will appear sooner than others, so be sure to watch your local weather forecast!

And although this could be frustrating if you’re reading this ‘out of season’, there are plenty of other tasks you can tick off the ‘to-do’ list while you wait for the better temperatures to come around.

Pick the correct grass seed for your garden

An important step that doesn’t take too long is picking the correct grass seed for your garden. Things that you might not have thought of: do shaded areas of your garden affect the growth of your grass, or would a specialist mix designed for families and pets be better for your garden?

Seeds for general use:

• All Rounder Rapid Lawn grows fast, recovers quickly from wear and tear and is versatile for use anywhere.
• Fast Grow Family Lawn is ideal for a lawn that receives a lot of footfall from the family, is fast growing and recovers quickly from wear and tear.
• Tough Stuff Lush Lawn is a durable seed mix designed to handle the wear and tear caused by dogs.
• Shade Supreme Lawn grows magnificently in areas of your garden covered in shadows caused by fences, hedgerows, trees and walls.

Specialist grass seeds:

• Super Fine Luxury Lawn provides a luxury lawn with a decorative finish and grows exceptionally well in sandy, drought-stricken soils.
• New Build Dream Lawn grows fast and lush in clay soils often found in new-build gardens. It is also hard-wearing and durable to withstand heavy use from your family and pets.

Prep your garden and get it ready for sowing

Once you’ve picked your grass seed, you can start prepping your garden for sowing. You will find this process broken down into a few easy-to-follow steps below:

• Start by removing weeds and moss. These are easy to remove and can be removed by hand or using a garden trowel. However, if more weeds and moss are scattered throughout your lawn, you could use a handheld spray weedkiller or our 3 IN 1 Lawn Rescue if they are taking over your garden!
• Next, you should remove debris, rocks and stones. This will make every task easier down the line – everything from sowing and mowing to the general look of your garden will be improved! And the easiest way to do this is by using a sieve or rake if you have a large number of small stones mixed through your soil.
• Then rake the soil again to break it up and get rid of any large clumps. Evening out your soil in this way means your soil will be even in consistency, which allows your grass seed to get the most from air, moisture and sunlight. Ideally, your seeds must be stacked about three-pound coins deep in the soil to grow well. So if the ground is too hard to pull a rake through or includes larger clumps of soil, you will need to break these up.
• Finally, you should level your lawn to ensure your seeds can grow as best they can. Levelling your lawn also decreases the likelihood of flooding or puddles forming in your garden and makes mowing easier.

The best month to sow grass seed in the UK

Now you know when the best month to sow grass seed in the UK is and what steps you can take to get your project underway should the weather not be perfect for planting your seed. We also have some helpful tips on when you should mow your newly grown lawn and how to apply lawn food. But, if you have any questions on the points discussed above or have queries that may be unique to your garden, please let us know; we will be happy to help!