Six steps to a safe, healthy yard without a lot of work
Last week, nine-month-old Luca Dennis first encountered the family lawn, scooting belly-down across plump grass and cushiony moss. It made for a soft landing when wobbly arms collapsed, bringing him eye-level with yellow dandelions erupting like small celebrations of spring.
Luca’s parents, Erick and Paola, know the grass is safe for him, his nine-year-old sister Emma and their dog Rosie because they don’t use pesticides and herbicides on their lawn.
The Dennis family keeps their yard maintenance light. Set near the wilds of Marshall Park in Southwest Portland, the quarter-acre lot has old walnut trees, azaleas and apple trees. In their five years there, Erick and Paola have added herbs and a couple of raised beds for summer vegetables to the generous swaths of lawn. Low-maintenance ground covers like sedum splash shades of green along the house’s foundation. “We let them grow where they please,” Erick says, and Paola adds, “I leave the seed heads all winter for the birds.
That laissez-faire gardening style applies to the lawn too. “We just throw down grass seed and mow,” Erick says. “We have lots of moss but we’ve found it’s comfy to walk on."
Lawns made simple: mow, grow, water and weed
If, like Erick and Paola, you want a decent lawn without a lot of work, these easy steps deliver up a lush lawn for lazing and playing:
- Overseed now (i.e., sow seeds in your existing lawn). But mow first so new seeds can get more light for germination. If the first mow of the year yields a lot of clippings, collect them for your yard debris bin or compost pile.
- For subsequent mowing, just let clippings lie. They add nitrogen to the soil—the nutrient that makes foliage green and lush. Set your mower on high so your grass gets deeper roots and fewer weeds. Too severe a cutting can thin the lawn, so mow often enough that you only remove the top third of the grass height.
- After mowing, sow the new seeds. Once they germinate, the grass crowds out unwanted plants. Paola likes grass seed without added fertilizers. Be sure to pick a sun mix for sun and a shade mix for shade.
- A few empty tuna cans, a hose and a sprinkler are all you need to keep your lawn green with the right amount of water once our summer drought sets in, while keeping your water bill as low as possible. Erick and Paolo let their lawn go seasonally brown—the ultimate in low-impact lawn care. Fall rains revive the green, every time.
- Don’t sweat surprise lawn guests. Under one walnut tree in Erick and Paola’s yard, grass doesn’t want to grow, but purple-flowering ajuga seem to like conditions fine. “We just mow over them, and walk over them,” Erick says of the low-growing plants. A good hand tool makes it easy to unearth unwanted dandelions now from soft spring soil.
From landscape to table
Beyond the lawn, vegetable gardening can also be a low-work affair. Emma shows a visitor raised beds, picked free of weeds and ready for planting. “When we do the garden, I help plant things,” she says. They grow tomatoes, basil, zucchini and eggplant, which she likes “if it’s cooked enough and mushy.”
Erick and Paola don’t have time to nurture seeds, so they use vegetable starts, a great solution for people who want home-grown food without too much time investment. “We buy the starts on Mother’s Day,” Erick says.
Paola’s Italian childhood influences what they grow too: lots of herbs such as lavender, rosemary, mint and sage. They don’t need much care and some can be harvested throughout our mild winters. With Luca on her hip, Paola shares an Italian classic Emma helps prepare: butter and sage sauce. “You melt a little butter and olive oil, and sauté the sage in it,” she says. “It’s good for cheese ravioli and cheese tortellini.”
“It’s good to send Emma out to the yard and say, ‘Hey, I need sage for the dinner,’” Erick says. “She’s learning how satisfying it is to eat food that you grow.”
Download a coupon good for compost, a weeding tool or a native plant