The Grass Doctor

Is it possible to dig up a gravel driveway to put soil and grass seeds in?

I just bought a house with a second lot with a gravel parking lot (was used for a business). I only need a small section of this gravel lot to park my car. Is it possible to dig up the rest of it and put dirt in over it and plant grass seeds so I can make my yard bigger? Or what is the best method of going about this?

Public Comments

1. Anything is possible. I would get you some top soil dirt though and have it put there after you dig up all the rock and gravel. Top soil will help your grass seeds to grow much better and you will have better luck with it. Also if you plant the seeds right before winter you will have lawn by next spring.
2. It will be fairly easy... you CAN add dirt and plant over it, it wont hurt anything... You can reseed anytime as long as you keep it watered.
3. Like the first respondent said " Anything is possible". You can do it, but it's a job that will require a skid steer, a dump truck, a place to dump the gravel, and finally top soil and grading equipment. You'll need to dig down fairly deeply, getting out as much of the gravel as is practical. Then you will have to break up the surface to reduce the compaction caused by years of gravel and cars sitting on it. Next you can add new top soil, grade it properly, and seed it. Don't kid yourself. It's a lot of work, but if it's worth it go for it. It'll look nicer than an undoubtedly weedy gravel lot. You could try to do half the job and just put top soil over the gravel and plant into that, but you'll end up with a headache. It'll look pretty good in the spring when there's ample moisture, and temps are moderate, but as the summer goes on that gravel will heat up and cook the grass roots. No amount of water, fertilizer, or other TLC will help. It will soon be just as much an eyesore as the parking lot was before it, and you'll have wasted your time, money, and effort.
4. Turf needs 6" of real soil (top soil) to grow well. You can scrape down the gravel or go on top of it, carefully grading the soil to allow for drainage to or away from certain areas. If you want other plants (veggies, flowers, shrubs, trees) in this area, you will want to have deeper soil available. Tip: 1 yard of top soil covers 60 square feet of ground at 6 inches deep.
5. Probably simpler to put soil over top, but first check what the drainage is like in the gravel. If it's compressed, if water sits there after it rains, it might be too wet for a successful lawn to go on top. In that case, you can hire someone with a machine to scrape the gravel off and then go ahead with the lawn. You should have at least several inches of good soil for a lawn. What you do might depend on your climate, sun exposure, and whatever kind of soil is under the gravel, too. Where I am, I have trouble with stuff growing right in my driveway, but in a hotter dryer climate or a place with full sun it would be different. Consulting with a local landscaper or at least with someone at a nursery would be useful.
6. Sure, you can dig up your driveway to put in grass. It might be a better option to use the land to plant some veggies. That way you won't have to mow and you will only be watering things that are producing fruit for your family.