# Bookworm's Lawn Journal - From Summer 2019



## Bookworm (May 5, 2019)

I posted a few weeks ago about my house we were closing on. Well, everything closed as expected and we are getting everything moved in this Friday.

Figured this would be a great start to hopefully achieving a lawn I can be proud of. This is a newly constructed house, so it has the typical contractor treatment. Threw a bunch of seed down, threw a bunch of straw down, and said good luck. I'm still digging up some pieces of construction material, big rocks, thick weeds, etc. Going to be a lot of effort. I will end this first post with a few questions if anyone has the time!

*Bookworm's Lawn Journal​*
Move In Date: *June 6th, 2019*​Zone: *Transition - Nashville, TN*​









*By The Numbers*​
I went out and measured everything twice today and walked the yard. I created each object in the below diagram in a 3D creation tool to map everything to scale. As you will see in the pictures later, the driveway has an odd cutout I didn't bother to model, but I did calculate adding the square footage back in where the driveway hour-glass shapes back in.










Total Plot Size: *26,270 sq ft (.60 acre)*
House Footprint: *2,214 sq ft *
Front Walk/Garden: *300 sq ft *
Back Patio: *192 sq ft *
Drainage Ditch: *1220 sq ft *
Driveway (Adjusted for cutouts): *1340 sq ft *
Total Yard Size: *21,004 sq ft *

*The Pictures*​
Most of these were taken today (6/3/2019), a few a couple weeks ago. The front yard is coming in a lot better, but still a lot of work needs to be done. The biggest problem is that there are some noticeable areas in the yard that are uneven. One spot in the back is clearly a grassed over tire track from heavy machinery. Feels like I'm walking on the moon in some spots.


















































*The Plan*​
So this is the first yard I am responsible for and I am pretty new to this yard care stuff. I think I have a decent plan. I know it's too late to do anything about seeding now, etc. If you notice in the second to last picture, my neighbor put sod down about a week ago... and it's dying so bad. So, here is my plan.

*Summer: Maintenance Mode*

Buy A Mower

Get A Soil Sample Completed

Add _____ Depending On Soil Sample

Rake Rocks/Debris From Yard

Mow High, Water, Pray

*Fall: A New Hope*

Use Top Soil/Sand/Compost Mix To Try To Level Dips/Valleys/Craters

Mow Short (2") & Bag Clippings

Rake Debris/Soil

Overseed

Water Religiously

More Praying

And beyond that, I am not sure. I also don't know much about fertiziling, using herbicides, etc. Since I am new I don't want to try anything too aggressive, but thought this basic plan would get me going...

*Initial Questions*​
*Buying a mower?*
With the yard itself coming in at just about .5 acre, should I be looking at a lawn tractor (my wife likes the idea of the addons for pulling wagons around, aerator, etc) ? Part of me thought I could get by with a Toro Timecutter or something with the personal pace system, but.. just measuring the yard took me a good part of 30 minutes. I am on the fence on this one. I know it is a personal decision, but what is the general rule of thumb or consensus?

*Do I need any fertilizer now, this fall, or wait until next year? Same thing for any herbicides, etc.*
Just not really sure when/what to use, what purpose, how to use it, etc.

*Top Soil?*
I know a lot of the current ground is the red dirt/clay and doesn't look very welcoming for grass. Should I rake in some top soil on the entire yard in the fall when I overseed after I cut it short?

*Anything else I am forgetting?*
Just wondering what else I am obviously missing. Any other advice or criticism is certainly welcome! Looking forward to cultivating my own line of domination in the coming years!


----------

