I live in a building in Toronto and have built something I hope to grow grass in on my patio. It is essentially a box about 3ft x 3ft and about 8" deep, bordered with pressure treated 2x8s and with a plywood bottom. The interior is completely lined with a waterproof 10mm poly plastic sheet.

I plan to grow just some regular (regional) sod I will buy from a local nursery.

1. Should I drill any holes in the bottom of the box to allow for drainage?
2. Should I simply put 6" of garden soil (or would potting soil be better?) underneath the sod or would you recommend an inch or two of crushed stones, for drainage?
3. Any other tips? Are there special precautions for planting sod this time of year (October) in Canada?

Thanks in Advance

2) Crushed stones or other material you consider as 'drainage' material do not help drainage (at all). This material simply raises the level of 'perched water' in the container. If your soil supports 3" of perched water and you layer it on top of a 3" 'drainage layer', the entire volume of actual soil will remain saturated until it is either used by the plant or it evaporates. It is more critical to use a fast draining soil in a shallow container than in a deep container, so a gritty mix of fine gravel or very coarse sand mixed with partially composted pine bark would be close to ideal. You could also do very well using a mix of Turface and bark or NAPA floor-dry and bark.

3) Why not just mix a handful of grass seed into your soil and enjoy the satisfaction of growing your own from scratch? ;o)

Al