Question
Hello,
I'm a new home owner and my backyard has a nice St. Augustine lawn.  The back corner of the yard however does not have grass and was covered with pea sized gravel (it was obviously the play area for the previous owner's kids).  I have removed much of the gravel on the surface, but the soil underneath still contains a lot of gravel.  Can I just add a few inches of top soil on top of this gravel/dirt mixture before laying new St. Augustine sod, or do I need to dig all the gravel out first?  I really don't want to rent a backhoe, but I don't want to waste my time and money on a lost cause either.  What is your advice?
Thank you,
Alli Kennedy

Answer
i'm in NJ, but i lived in FL for 2 years. get as much gravel out as possible. add 3-6 " of topsoil and till it into the stone base. add 4-6" of topsoil, roll it, put down sod, and roll again. it would pay to install an irrigation system to augment the hot weather watering periods. check w/the local garden center or sod farm before starting.
good luck
rick