It's working!

This is very exciting for everyone, I know. But there are signs of sprouting in the areas where new seed was planted. Plus, I can stop worrying about rising water bills, as the famed Seattle weather has returned. We have had a slow steady rain every morning for the last few days, so no need for the sprinkler.

The rain has prevented much other yard work, unfortunately. My plans to put down mulch for the fall have been delayed. What I have been able to do is attack the front lawn with the same vigor as the back....
Unfortunately, the weeds were even worse up front. This section in particular was more weed than grass. What worries me is that the soil is now pock-marked, and I doubt I could rake it out without damaging what is left of the grass. Perhaps sprinkling some topsoil on top before putting down the seed?

Fortunately the front yard is only about 200 square feet.

This is Like Watching Grass Grow

Note the cooler of Budweiser, which is not allowed in the house.

The forecast calls for rain this week, finally. So, I thought it would be a good time to try to salvage the lawn. While Truman's extensive restroom area still thrives, the rest looks beyond dead. Some areas are worse than others...



This looked even worse after raking.

I had originally planned on simply overseeding, but when I reassessed the bare patches, I decided to use the all-in-one mix. That means using chemical fertilizer, but I'll make that sacrifice this one time. The mix is pretty handy: grass seed, fertilizer, and mulch, in a fenestrated bag that you just shake over the desired area.

The result....



The lawn now looks to be more patch repair than actual grass. And Truman is fustrated that he can't hang out back here for a while.

I watered it well yesterday, which of course meant it rained a lot last night. Cloudy, rainy, and in the 50s...it finally feels like we are in Seattle.

In which more advice is followed

We hosted a mixer for Chris's law school class last night, which turned out rather well. No one got sloppy drunk, and our hardwood floors are intact. Someone did mysteriously manage to set fire to one of our dish towels, but they got it in the sink before I even noticed the smell. Apparently some people are so impressed by gas stoves that they feel the need to turn on the burner.

Of course, lots of people brought lots of cheap and mid-range beer and left it behind. Although it's nice to have a fridge half-full of Fat Tire, I was at a loss figuring out what to do with a cooler of Budweiser (besides find out who brought it and demand they take it back!). But, after watching a snail ooze its way across the hosta again this morning, I remembered the slug trap Anne had suggested. At last, a use for Budweiser, besides cooking chicken!


We'll see how it goes... I hope it works, we have a lot of Budweiser to use up.

Lawn Strategies

Why is it that some areas of the lawn seem to be dying off faster than others?

Oh, that's why.

As September is here, I'm trying to develop a plan to salvage the backyard:

1. Wait until after we host next week's happy hour for Chris's incoming class, and the yard is trampled by drunk law students. Weed in the meantime.

2. Rake and seed/overseed bare patches. Be happy about the "poo area" that is thriving.

3. Water and wait. Be happy that the water bill only comes every 2 months.

This is nothing like the 5-year plan that Minnesotans like to adopt with their lawns, but it is the extent of my attention span right now.

I still want to avoid widespread chemical fertilizer. In fact, we may be run out of Hippietown if we even consider it. That being said, I have a bag of the lawn seed/fertilizer/mulch combo mix for the completely bare patches.

And maybe train Truman to "fertilize" some other areas of the yard. Or at least replace his divets.