With all the hardscaping finished at the farm it was finally my turn to get my hands dirty. First up - getting 6000 square feet of proposed lawn area ready for grass seed. Normally I wouldn’t attempt to plant grass seed during the hottest part of the summer, but at the time that all of the hardscaping was being done, the owner’s of the farm had an irrigation system installed too.
The top soil had been spread for about two weeks before the irrigation system was operational and in the dry heat of July it had become rock solid. That two-week period was also just enough time for a slew of weed seeds to take hold and flourish. With no heavy equipment left to help me out (where’s there a skidsteer when I need one), it was a back-breaking process to loosen the soil, remove the weeds and rake the area smooth. Ruts from tire tracks, caterpillar tracks, and skidsteer tracks (sniff) didn’t make the job any easier. Good thing I’m a sucker for physical labor!
After many hours of toiling in the hot sun and inhaling multiple gallons of water, the lawn area was ready to seed. I think it was during this process of soil preparation that my fabulous flip-flop tan really became established!
A lawn spreader made quick work of the seeding and the new irrigation system combined with lots of sunshine provided excellent germination and growing conditions. Although it will require overseeding and there are a few patchy spots, most of the lawn has filled in nicely.
If you look closely in the picture above you’ll spot a garden fork stuck in the dirt of the front garden. That garden fork signals the start of the fun stuff - adding trees, shrubs and perennials.
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