Should I till the whole yard?

Should I till the whole yard? (Full Version)

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[Poll]

Till it all

28% (2)

Just till enough for a garden

14% (1)

Get some dirt for the low spots and forget tilling

14% (1)

Other (explain in post.)

42% (3)

Total Votes : 7

(last vote on : 5/1/2008 10:42:21 PM)
(Poll will run till: -- )

Message

ladioffaith -> Should I till the whole yard? (4/18/2008 10:00:44 PM)
I had a crazy idea today as I walked out into my front yard, noted the slightly uneven ground beneath my feet and mindful of other even MORE uneven spots. Maybe I should just have the whole front and side yard rototilled, plant new grass seed in the front and use the side yard for a garden. Last year, the neighbors reluctanty relinquished the foot or so of their driveway that belongs to me when they put a new concrete driveway in. I am now the proud owner of 18 inches of gravel. It looks terrible, to say the least. There is also a spot near the front of the yard where somebody threw an M-80 one fourth of July and blew a chunk out of the lawn. It's hidden by the tall grass ... for now. Oh, and I should probably mention that my mower was on the blink the last time I checked and there are no doubt better things I could spend my money on than hiring a tiller, buying grass seed and plants. But it would also cost me money to buy fill dirt to fill in the low spots ... And I'd save money, at least on the tomatoes and zuchini. And did I mention that I am allergic to grass pollen? So ... should I till or fill?

furrypurrykitty -> RE: Should I till the whole yard? (4/19/2008 12:36:08 AM)
I think you should write to Ask This Old House and describe your problems so maybe they'll come and bring a bunch of equipment and help you fix everything. [:D]

cindybode -> RE: Should I till the whole yard? (4/19/2008 1:20:53 AM)
I voted "other" because my real answer is "it depends." How big is your lawn? Do you have grass now, or a lot of bare spots? How much does it bother you to have weeds in your lawn? What, exactly, are you trying to accomplish - get out of mowing so much, make your lawn look nicer, have a bigger garden, or find a justifiable way to spend some money? [8D] Things to consider - if you have a decent lawn now and the low spots are really all that bothers you, you would be better off to just fill in the low spots, patch them with seed, and make a garden bed wherever you want it. You do not need to till to make a garden bed on top of an existing lawn. You simply need newspaper and plant wastes (which you can probably collect from neighbors if you don't have enough). Your 18" of gravel could become home to almost anything you want it to - veggies, flowers, or maybe some nice blueberry bushes. If you have a lot of bare spots and weeds and you really want a nice lawn, you might be better off to till the whole thing up and plant seed. Remember that weed seeds will fight with your grass seed for dominance and you will have to apply weed killers if that bothers you. Remember also that we are nearing the end of cool weather in our neck of the woods, and grass seed likes it cool. Around here it's better to seed a new lawn in the fall. If you have horse farms near you, you can most likely get all the composted manure you want for the hauling. If you want to come up for a visit, I'll give you all you want. [:D] If it were me, I think I'd concentrate on putting in a garden and filling in any big holes in the lawn. Live with it for the summer, and then if you decide it won't do till it up and plant grass in the fall.

agapetos -> RE: Should I till the whole yard? (4/19/2008 8:14:51 AM)
Can you deal with the whole yard in one go? You may find it easier to section it up and deal with each section as you are able ~ even if it means 3 sections in chaos this year as you deal with the first and then 2 sections in chaos next year as you deal with the second (and keep up with the first). It does all depend on the size of the garden though and the amount of time you have to commit to it etc. My garden is tiny but I've not been able to do as much as I'd like in one go. I did some last year and am in the process of doing more this year. Hopefully, next year, it'll be pretty much in order.

ladioffaith -> RE: Should I till the whole yard? (4/19/2008 9:04:35 AM)
The front yard is basically a "postage stamp." I'm not good with square footages so let's just say I can do the main part of the yard in about 5 passes of a mower and it's about as long as my Cutlass Supreme. This doesn't count the part next to the front porch on both sides, including the "weed garden" that is surrounded on all sides by the porch and sidewalk. I have pretty much grass and crab grass and I don't really care if the whole thing is weeds as long as it's not too many dandelions because they grow faster than grass. Some is starting to spring up in the gravel but it's not enough, it's much lower than the rest of the yard and of course, you can't mow a gravel bed. Last night it occured to me that I could (duh!) till up a strip on the far side of the yard (a little wider than the gravel strip) and just have him make a couple more passes along the side of the house for a garden. (The spot where the M-80 tore a chunk out is about a foot off the front walk ... nobody really notices it but me.) By the way, Roomie (who agreed to help with a garden) said we wouldn't get enough sun because of the fence. I said there has ALWAYS been a fence on the side yard and in the past, that was the best place to grow stuff. We also used to have stuff growing behind the house, but not too successfully, and now newer trees have shaded the whole thing.

stampinlady -> RE: Should I till the whole yard? (4/19/2008 2:41:16 PM)
Have you tried airating it? We have it done every year and then seed it afterwards. It seems to make the grass come in better.

Auben -> RE: Should I till the whole yard? (4/19/2008 6:53:09 PM)
Anther thing to think about, what kind of ordinances does your area have? Some cities have rules about lawns. If its a little bit bigger than a buick I'd probably till it and make a garden; flowers toward the sidewalk and veggies toward the door. That's me though. You can always yank it and plant seed in the fall if you hate it.

ladioffaith -> RE: Should I till the whole yard? (4/20/2008 12:25:58 AM)
Rules about lawns? Hah! I don't live in a condo association! Anyway ... I was not talking about turning the lawn into a garden, silly. I just wanted to know if I should till it all and plant new grass seed ... or till part of it, or import a truck load of dirt. Not sure how to even out the low spots, or where the truck would park. Think the neighbor would get mad if we used their driveway? I'm going back and forth on the garden thing, but only the strip next to the house would be gardened. I'm violently allergic to grass pollen so I'm not sure if I want to plant anything I have to maintain.

Auben -> RE: Should I till the whole yard? (4/20/2008 10:39:45 AM)
I'd still make it into a garden. Just say no to grass pollen. Or maybe some wildflowers.

ta_mosquito -> RE: Should I till the whole yard? (4/20/2008 12:43:40 PM)
Clover. Make it all clover. Forget grass. ;)

deermousie -> RE: Should I till the whole yard? (4/20/2008 12:44:13 PM)
Bunch of things to consider... you're allergic to grass pollen, so the grass must go. The good news is, there are all kinds of ground covers that aren't grass and don't have to be mowed. It's going to depend on what part of the country you live in (I assume you're in America) and how much sun hits your yard. If it's varied, your plants will probably have to be varied. What kinds of ground cover do well where you are? There's pachysandra in the east, ajuga in the west, and the poofy Zoisha (I think that's how it's spelled) that might make pollen that bothers you. There's thyme (various kinds). Go to a good nursery (not a department store where the employees have no clue) and find out what's available. Hey, dichondra is nice! One of the first steps I'd make after deciding what to put in the yard is till up the grass and let it rot. Some will come up again, so till it under again (I don't recommend chemicals, as they don't work as well as diligence, and many are dangerous to you). While tilling, throw some composted soil or humus in, and some fertilizer, and improve your soil. Most people's front yard soil condition is slightly north of the Sahara Desert as far as healthiness goes. You can fill in the hole, or hey, plant a shrub there. Plant lots of shrubs - they don't need mowing. How about a few roses in strategic places? The bare root season is on and they aren't expensive. Make a map of your yard and play with putting in shrubs, ground cover, maybe a raised bed to make it interesting. How about some plants that make pretty flowers or food? Corn is ugly and your neighbor's might riot, but tomatoes are nice and zuccini is interesting (until it dies, so pull out anything that's getting yellow). Cucumbers spread around and have pretty yellow flowers. Have fun turning your itchy desert into a little haven. [:)]

ladioffaith -> RE: Should I till the whole yard? (4/20/2008 2:27:42 PM)
I'm in Ohio. Look that way ... <------------ Yeah, I'm allergic to grass ... but that's only a problem in May and June. Last year, my symptoms weren't as bad ... but then again, I was in an experimental allergy study. I've found that there is no avoiding grass, and I always react about 12 hours later ... so I basically get through those months with the help of drugs. (Good thing Zyrtec is over the counter!) Besides, I have a back yard that is way bigger than the postage stamp out front ... I managed to mow it all down for the last year or so .... just double up on the meds, shower afterward and I usually don't wake up sneezing. Any time I spend any length of time outdoors, whether anybody is mowing or not ... I always react during those months. So getting rid of the grass would not be an option, because I can't make the rest of the world do the same. (There's a fair amount of clover out there, and I say the more the better. My brother just stopped by to say that he's planting a huge garden ... so I can just give them some plants and they'll put them out yonder, where they have better soil than my clay!

JonBulb -> RE: Should I till the whole yard? (4/20/2008 9:59:23 PM)
As a former landscaper here in Florida, I would say to till the WHOLE area. Rake out the old grass, Then you can level out the yard with a square rake. You should have plenty of existing topsoil to level out the low areas due to the soil being compacted in the ground. Here is an excellent site that I and many other landscapers are members of that would be helpful in the future: www.lawnsite.com . We have a "Homeowner Assistance Forum" that you can read (scroll down towards the bottom of website) w/o joining and if you want to post a comment, Join and do so.

shawke -> RE: Should I till the whole yard? (4/20/2008 10:07:19 PM)
Plant hosta in the shady areas and surround with wood chip mulch, or if you want a nice smell, use cocoa bean mulch. Cordon off a small, sunny area for a couple of tomato plants. Plant creeping thyme in the rest of the yard. It gives off a great smell when walked on. Maybe a small bush or two on each corner of the lot. You could even make a small paved area and set some potted plants on it. I recently mapped out my backyard for some major landscaping, so I've been thinking about this kind of thing lately. [:D]

ladioffaith -> RE: Should I till the whole yard? (4/20/2008 10:31:49 PM)
Jon, thank you ... you seem to be the first person to understand what I was thinking about! It just doesn't make sense to haul dirt in when I've got plenty of it right here in my yard that could be tilled and leveled. That said ... I think I may have to live with things the way they are for a while. I tried to start my mower to tame the jungle outside ... and it wouldn't start. I was having problems last year, and thought maybe it was (literally) frozen because it was a cold day. Bought some oil and still couldn't get the rope to pull. So I think I may have to invest any money I have into lawnmower repair or replacement. I'd rather fix the one I have, to be honest. The mower I had was a mulching one, and the fact that it discharged the grass to the side instead of concentrating it all into a bag or blowing it on my feet is a prime reason I was able to endure mowing last year. Besides ... we're only a week or two away from prime grass pollen season ... and any time I spend a great deal of time outdoors, it gets me. Oh and Steve ... there ain't no such thing as a shady spot in this front yard. I've wanted to plant Azaleas or Rhodedenrons in the "weed garden" but the only things that grew well were tiny (Pansies, a mini-rose and the ever-present chives! The Peonies are coming back this year, and are sure to look as ugly as ever. If I had the energy and the antihistamines, I'd plant roses.

peculiar_lady2 -> RE: Should I till the whole yard? (4/20/2008 10:48:36 PM)
quote: That said ... I think I may have to live with things the way they are for a while. I tried to start my mower to tame the jungle outside ... and it wouldn't start. I was having problems last year, and thought maybe it was (literally) frozen because it was a cold day. Bought some oil and still couldn't get the rope to pull. So I think I may have to invest any money I have into lawnmower repair or replacement. I'd rather fix the one I have, to be honest. The mower I had was a mulching one, and the fact that it discharged the grass to the side instead of concentrating it all into a bag or blowing it on my feet is a prime reason I was able to endure mowing last year. my hubby (mechanic in the Army, but they start them training on lawn mowers) says that if there is fuel it needs to be drained, so that might be it....or it might just need a "tune up"....so take it to a shop and have it looked at before you invest in a new one.

ladioffaith -> RE: Should I till the whole yard? (4/20/2008 11:07:54 PM)
Well, there is fuel ... but there was fresh fuel in it last year when the problem first surfaced. A friend of mine reminded me that there is a place that takes used mowers and re-sells them near their place ... I said I'd rather fix the one I have. So if I can manage to put that thing in my car (which I'm sure would be quite a challenge since I don't have a truck) then I would definitely drain the fuel before it goes anywhere.

JonBulb -> RE: Should I till the whole yard? (4/21/2008 12:10:08 AM)
Try a new spark plug before you take it into the shop for repair. If that doesnt work, The Carb probably is gummed up from old fuel.

JonBulb -> RE: Should I till the whole yard? (4/21/2008 12:12:44 AM)
Or spray some starter fluid in the carb (take off air filter). just spray a lil squirt in and then try and crank it.

ladioffaith -> RE: Should I till the whole yard? (4/21/2008 2:14:30 AM)
This is already much more complicated than I can comprehend. I don't know where the spark plug and air filter are located, let alone how to put one in! My brother had a friend who repaired mowers, but found out today he is seriously ill.

JonBulb -> RE: Should I till the whole yard? (4/21/2008 10:40:07 AM)
Okay, Here is a link to what a sparkplug looks like and the tool you will need to get the plug out. The photos will show you what the plug looks like and the air filter also. Some air filters are sqaure and not always round. The air filter is always either on the side aor above the carburator (See photo). Changing the plug is really very simple with the plug tool, Which is cheap to buy. You can get the plug and tool at Home Depot or Lowes or auto parts store. http://www.rd.com/familyhandyman/content/17656/

peculiar_lady2 -> RE: Should I till the whole yard? (4/21/2008 11:33:03 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: JonBulb Try a new spark plug before you take it into the shop for repair. If that doesnt work, The Carb probably is gummed up from old fuel. quote: Or spray some starter fluid in the carb (take off air filter). just spray a lil squirt in and then try and crank it. yeah those are the two things hubby said he would start with...but since you didn't seem like the mechanical "type" he said just take it in to someone. Also you could see if there is a teen boy around the neighborhood (or church) that could look at it for you. It really just sounds like an easy fix...minor parts and servicing....but from your posts you don't seem too confident in doing it yourself. We have teens all the time come by asking if we need our grass done for a small charge...do you know of any that do that in the summer? If so they would probably know basics like this kind of thing...or just about any guy at your church that has spent any amount of time tinkering with a lawn mower....like I said...it's all basic servicing stuff

ladioffaith -> RE: Should I till the whole yard? (4/21/2008 3:51:45 PM)
Well, ya know ... that is why I have you folks! I remembered that my nephew does lawns and is basically an entrepreneur of sorts ... I'd pay him to do my lawn but I can't afford his rates [:D] I have been thinking of calling him to ask if he is skilled in mower repair and if he's not ... see if it's a skill he'd be willing to learn because if he's going to do a business like this, it's probably a set of skills he should have. I think I'm going to set a cap on what I'd pay to fix these things because there is a guy who has a couple of mowers out in front of his house that he's selling for $50. I think I could talk the guy into driving it to my house for an extra $10 for gas.

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