Yard Work, Part Two

Last spring I attempted to plant a lawn in the backyard. Lots of work went into preparing the yard and seeding the lawn. And it seemed to be working. Then I applied some weed-and-feed just as the weather turned hot and dry. The grass died. Hence, the title of this post.

I ran out this morning and rented a roto-tiller to chop up the backyard--again. It was four hours of back-breaking work as the yard was like pavement after the long, hot, dry spell we had during this summer. Despite having little foot traffic in the yard, the earth was compacted like cement. It could be the result of having had to apply so much lime last spring to bring the pH into line mixed with the clayey soil near the house.

Anyway, I got it done and the tiller returned in four hours then spent another four hours with a hatchet (chopping roots the tiller lifted) or rake (trying to smooth and level the surface) in my hands.Tommorow I'll give it one more raking then go see about purchasing the seed (for a shady lawn) and another hose and renting a roller to tamp the seed down.