Reduce, Reuse, Recycle...the lawn...

There are lots of good reasons to reduce the amount of grass in your yard. The water savings alone should be a good motivator for most. Reducing the amount of time you spend mowing and maintaining a lush, green law is another. It requires a good amount of chemicals, money, and energy in keeping out the less desirable plants that naturally crop up.

So, we've been trying to figure out different ways to improve the look of the grass in our yard. To be exact, it's mostly crab grass, but let's not split hairs. I've watched my dad battle grass my entire life, and it just makes me tired! We've been making strides at buying mulch and reducing grass while doing some good old fashioned landscaping. It's fun to watch the yard change and enjoy the rewards of a little hard work.

Last week, we took the plunge and decided to go the nuclear route. We raked up all the weeds, loaded it into the back of the truck, and hauled it off to the yard waste facility. It was quite a site to see our entire "lawn" fit in the back of a truck...and our yard down to the soil with a few sprigs of grass that actually survived all the weeds...

For a nominal fee, we unloaded our "lawn" in a big pile of tree and brush debris. It will then be picked up and run through a grinder and recycled and reused to make mulch - a system that helps pay for itself because (inexpensive) mulch is in high demand in our area. Who knew that our waste could help someone else's yard?

Our solution to our first failed attempt to grow grass in the front yard is to reduce the overall amount so we can focus on healthy grass in a smaller area. Second, we're switching to warm season grass that requires less water, and hopefully fewer chemicals. Third, we're also focusing on native plants that thrive in this climate, require less watering, and help protect the ecosystem that is quickly deteriorating in a growing city.

Instead of continuing to battle with the natural environment, we're taking a different tact that will use the strengths of the natural world to improve the look of our yard. Not perfect, but we'll still have some grass to keep that curb appeal while drastically reducing the amount of time, money, and chemicals we put into the yard. I like to think of it as an incremental improvement that takes into account an environmental approach to help us in our decision making. In my opinion, that's what it's all about.