[Kayla]

After buying a house and fixing up the inside. We are ready to start working on our backyard!

Our biggest problem is that our dirt is terrible, very rocky, and does not hold moisture.

the grass is very sporadic where it grows, and unless we ar watering all the time It does not stay green.

We want to put in our own sprinkler system this fall with a connecting drip system to the garden.

So, any tips tricks to keep it at a reasonable budget would be amazing.

Also, I’m thinking about ripping off the top level of dirt and replacement with expensive top soil and sod.Does anyone have suggestions?

[Kate]

Don’t rip off what you have. It sounds like it just needs more humus (organic material) in it.

To improve your soil you just need to keep working at it.

Read about regenerative farming & permaculture.

I used a book called The Permaculture Home Garden by Linda Woodrow.

I had virtually no top soil & lots of stones.

Now I have a couple of foot & everything you put in grows well & it retains water.

You can clear a patch of ground in 2 ways either with animals (rabbits/chickens) or a compost heap.

Chickens take a few weeks, compost a couple of months.

Then move & plant into the cleared area.

If you want to grow veggies or flowers use sheet mulch.

Sheet mulch is cardboard on top of the soil followed by thin layers of manure & more compost.

It’s sometimes called lasagna mulch.

It also works if you can’t get manure. When planting punch a hole through the cardboard to put the plant roots in soil.

This method prevents weeds, reduces water use & improves the soil.

When you want grass sow grass seed or plant grass runners on the cleared area, cover with a very thin layer of manure or well rotted compost.

It will take time.

[Emily]

I’ve found that “frugal lawn” is an oxymoron. There’s a lot of cost for the watering, seeding, fertilizing, and mowing.

Granted I’m all talk…

I did try to turn my weed and moss-covered back yard into a nice lawn.

I rentrd a tiller, ordered more dirt and seeded 5 years ago.

It requires so much work to keep the weeds down.

[Janet]

Sounds like you have a fungus or diseased lawn. I would consult a professional service and pay a years worth of treatment.

[Tommy]

If you have lots of rocks then grass will not grow well. If you can I would dig out as much rock as you can and get good top soil.

There’s other ways of doing this also.

Find a good warm season or cool season grass that’s suitable for your area.

It’s always good to look at the seed label for 0% weeds and 0% other crops.

But you mentioned sod which is an instant lawn but more expensive obviously.

[Kelly]

Rent a machine to dig for the lines. Check how deep you need for your area.

Laying the line is easy.

heck out different heads for different flow.

You might need a plumber to tie into main water line.

As for the dirt quickest way is to put a load of top soil over what you have.

[Jo]

Add straw, compost, leaves and anything else that you can find to build it up. You can plant in straw bales also.

[Annette]

Have a couple lawn feeding guys come out to give you a better idea of what is needed.

The first consultation is usually free.

Or you could have a soil sample done.

[Author]

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