Save by Seeding on Time
A good time to reseed a patchy lawn is toward the end of winter when the snow is
melting. The seed will sink into the ground and germinate when the temperature
is right. Keep a dry mixture of half topsoil and half seed on hand for reseeding
lawns; level bare spots with the turf and fill with the mixture.
Saving on Grass Seed
A simple way to figure the relative efficiency of grass seed brands is to
multiply the percentage of germination by the percentage of pure seed marked on
each label; the package yielding the highest figure will produce the most new
grass.
Avoid annual species when buying grass seed. A pound of smaller, more expensive
perennial seed will sow an area larger than eight pounds of large cheap seed can
cover, saving you money and making a higher quality lawn. The smaller the seed
the bigger the bargain.
Double Your Yield by Using the Front Lawn for a Vegetable Garden
"We live in a grass country; we live in a grass world," a New Rochelle, New York
gardener lamented not long ago, pointing an accusing finger at a lush lawn
across the street. "Do you ever see anyone walking on lawns like that or sitting
on them? Of course not all that green, inedible stuff is totally useless!"
Many Americans are beginning to think like the New Rochellian and have, like
him, planted their front lawns in vegetables. One Texas man actually planted
wheat on his front lawn, enough to make one hundred loaves of bread - and
persevered even though his neighbors complained to City Hall! In most
communities, there's no law against using your front lawn to plant any crop, and
if there is, you might be able to have it changed. The plush front lawn that
yields harvests of bills, worry, and backaches is strictly a modern invention
and one that often makes little sense.
Gardens planted on the front lawn not only save money and reward one with
healthy, tasty food, but can be attractive as well. Use a little imagination,
and a big garden or a small tomato patch will blend in nicely with other
plantings. As for the work involved, it can be minimal. If you don't want to
turn over the front lawn, take a short cut and mow the grass close, spreading
about three inches of decayed leaves over the portion of the lawn to be used.
After this compost has settled down, simply make planting holes for the
vegetables and set them in, two feet apart each way. Try to use attractive
mulches such as stones or gravel. Plant marigolds to combat the meadow nematode
and care for plants, just as you would in the backyard. The turf grass,
smothered, will soon become compost and yield bushels of free food.
An easy to remember proverb reminds us that the best times to fertilize lawns
are four holidays - St. Patrick's Day, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and
Labor Day.
Weeds in Place of
a Lawn
"No one feels himself easy in a garden which does not look like the open
country," Goethe argues, which is at least a good rationalization for letting
the lawn go to seed. There are other good reasons, too, for letting weeds take
over in the yard; they are not only "uncultivated flowers;" many are good to eat
as well. To name just a few weeds that make excellent salads: try chicory, lambs
quarters, violet leaves, dandelion, and mustard greens. Excellent books to
consult on the subject are Sturtivant's Edible Plants of the World and Euell
Gibbons's Stalking The Wild Asparagus.
Transplanting Tips
* An excellent free transplanting spade that cuts easily through tree roots can
be made by cutting a wide V notch into a regular spade blade and then sharpening
the edges of the V.
* You'll give shrubs a better chance to recover from transplanting shock if you
drive a spade around plant roots a few days before moving.
* Always take as large a ball of soil as possible when transplanting a plant
from the wild into your garden.
* When tying or bunching branches together before moving shrubs from one place
to another, you'll find that an old belt works better than rope or wire.
Free Rose Seed
To obtain free rose seed let the orange rose hips ripen on the rose bush until
they begin to split. The seed inside is then ready to sow. Be warned, however,
that the seed won't grow true to type but will revert back to characteristics of
its ancestors.