what’s wrong with this picture? (hint, it’s april!)
YES, THERE CAN BE TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING. This lesson resounded yesterday when mowing season—a part of gardening that I actually enjoy—began more than two weeks early. I haven’t even finished the needed lawn repairs…and now, this. Vroom!
Whether muscling the Noisy Green Machine (above) around a couple of hours twice a week, or steering the tractor over the bigger swaths for about as long, I’m oddly at peace with mowing. But I like to mow from May to Octoberish, not in April (and not in November, like I had to last fall).
I don’t fertilize my lawn areas, so I refuse to take the blame for excess growth. Who shall I blame? I don’t apply herbicides, either, so guess what else is up and at ‘em, besides the grassy topgrowth? Yes, dandelions.
More timely turf-related links (even if it is April!):
Libby says
April 16, 2010 at 9:06 amWhat a beautiful shade of primula. I have the yellow and the red, both courtesy of my mother’s gardens fromomng ago, but have never seen that pink/peach shade? Do you ever get seeds from it? I agree, this spring is so far ahead it’s scary. we did get some snow last week but everyhing came through Ok. Am also seeding onions and greens, a full month earlier then I can usually even get in the garden in northern Ontario.
David Patterson says
April 16, 2010 at 9:29 amI do not apply fertilizer or pesticides on my lawn. I mow using mulching blades. Last fall I used the mower to mulch down the leaves to very tiny pieces and left them on the lawn. And each fall I aerate and seed it heavily. That’s it. My lawn looks the best it ever has. I honestly think mulching the leaves to finite pieces helped the most in feeding the lawn over the winter. Of course the 90 inches of snow helped a great deat as well.
Margaret says
April 16, 2010 at 10:08 amWelcome, Libby. The primula in this week’s newsletter is sort of reddish but quickly fades to a pale almost-pink. Hard to describe. I don’t see seedlings like i do with other species of primulas here, not sure why. I am comforted to hear of others having weather chaos (it’s not just me!), but also sympathetic. A year of oddities, to be sure. See you soon!
Welcome, David. I am with you 100 percent. I shred up everything I can right in place, and it seems to be the best for the turf as you say. And such a work-saver. And did you say NINETY inches of snow? Yikes. Now that would have me blogging nonstop over here…wow. See you soon again too I hope.
leslie says
April 16, 2010 at 11:13 amI use a manual push mower (small yard and even smaller lawn), so I took my eight month old outside with me for the first mow of the season. He had sooo much fun chasing me and the mower. I think the lawn mower is his new favorite garden tool (He also loves the perrenial fork-not sure why).
Lynell says
April 16, 2010 at 1:18 pmI was just noticing yesterday that I too am going to need to mow my lawn in a few days and I’m in Zone 3b! This has been a crazy spring. Everything is so far ahead of schedule.
the inadvertent farmer says
April 16, 2010 at 1:29 pmLOL…that is why we got a camel! He actually leans over the fence and does about 6 feet of the lawn all around the edges…too bad the roses are around the edges! Kim
Kathejo says
April 17, 2010 at 2:51 amI live in southern France and we take care of other peoples “gardens” / yards for a living. We’ve had to start cutting all of them a month earlier than normal. It wasn’t exactly a mild winter or a warm spring. We can’t figure it out.