Friday, May 07, 2010

Friday Afternoon Garden Club


It’s FAC time in The Art Garden! Grab your favorite beverage and pull up a chair. You didn’t really want to work this afternoon anyway, did you? Leave a comment to join the garden party.

Today’s topic:

Do you mow your own lawn? What kind of mower do you use? How long does it take to do? What would you like to change about your turf regimen?

5 comments:

erin said...

We purchased an electric, battery powered mower 2 years ago.
the charge lasts long enough to do our fairly large city lawn- you just plug it in, and it charges in a few hrs. [in the winter i plug it in for a few days once a month.]
its great! no cord, no smell no gas, no pulling the start cord [endlessly]
sadly it's not self propelled and on my old and horribly bumpy lawn, i wish it was.
takes me, maybe 40 min. a week.

i have been wondering if spreading some seed would help fill in the older bits. [it grows well, but it's not thick and the weeds sneak in and take over.]

Jocelyn H. Chilvers said...

Wow, that sounds like a GREAT mower option---no fuss, no muss.

This is the perfect time to over-seed your lawn. Clear out any weeds in the bare areas, then rough up the soil a bit with a rake. Sprinkle grass seed over the area (fairly dense, but in a single layer). Then spread a light layer (like 1/8"-1/4" thick) of fine compost over the seed. Water it a couple of times a day to keep the area moist until the seeds germinate. Slowly taper off on the watering as the new seedlings mature.
Thanks for stopping by The Art Garden, Erin!

Nell Jean said...

We mow our own lawn, at least He-who-mows does, but I can operate a riding mower. He mows first with a 54" cut diesel mower, then a 7' mower behind a tractor outside that perimeter, then a 15' mower behind an even bigger tractor beyond that. It takes days.

We don't fertilize, or spread chemicals. Ever. In winter, I spread 50 pounds of ryegrass near the house. I love green grass in winter.

Click on my name to see the lawn.

Les said...

Granted my yard was already small, but I have eliminated all turf, replacing it with gardens. However, I am responsible for maintaing the city property between the sidewalk and the street. I wouldn't call it a lawn, it is more green weeds than anything else. I have slowly begun nibbling away at that and turning it into beds as well. Until my mission is complete, I cut the green weeds with an electric mower in dire need of a sharper blade.

Jocelyn H. Chilvers said...

Nell Jean, that is a lovely "lawn" you have there! I'm betting that you don't give it any supplemental water, either. A very restful, pastoral scene---no wonder you love it!

Les,I am down to about a 20 minute mow time on my suburban lot---most of my property has gone into gardens. Those areas of public right-of-way between the sidewalk and the street can be tough to manage. Combine the awkward, narrow shape with the heat of surrounding pavement and (in our region) the insult of snow/ice removal chemicals and/or sand, and you get a setting that calls for super tough and adaptable plants. However, when well designed and maintained, these spaces can be a real asset to the neighborhood. Good luck with your project!