And They Said It Couldn't Be Done

Before, just weeds & dirt.

I am here to prove that you can, at least for one season out of the year, have soft, emerald green grass in the state of Texas.  We took our dry, barren and hard-packed dirt in the front yard and created a soft carpet of green.  Granted, there are some spots in the greenery that need filled in (I don't have a professional seed spreader) but it's green!  And once the seeds get a firm hold on the ground, they don't need watered much!

First planting's results.

The entire process took quite a bit of effort on everyone's part.  I dug up the yard; the kids removed rocks and debris.  Then, we chopped down the dirt clods and raked it smooth.  Once we had a more level surface, we spread starter fertilizer and grass seed with our gloved hands.  Some spots didn't get as much seed, so we've had to go back through and reseed some spots.

This is a perennial rye grass that survives through the cooler months of autumn, winter, and then sleeps all summer long.  It should come back next fall as the summer grass is dying off.  The plan right now is to plant some different grass seed in the Spring when the temperature increases.  But we're happy with the yard.  Much happier than when we first moved in!

Second planting and starting of third.

I'm still working on spreading some of the grass throughout the existing Bermuda grass (horrible stuff that spreads and leaves pockets of dirt underneath that when cut and raked away, leave massive spaces in the yard).  And I'm working on putting grass on the other side of the driveway as well.  Let's pray for some rain too!  I get tired of moving a hose all day long...but it's worth it to see such a beautiful color of green!