KATHY’S HOME & GARDEN TIPS – GET THE GRASS READY TO GROW
At last, at last, some beautiful weather this weekend!
Now is a good time to get out in the yard. First rake all the old dead grass up. This is also a good time to augment the soil. Throw down a couple of bags of top soil mixed with a bag of manure compost. If you have clayey soil, as most of the soil in our area is, throw in a bag of play sand. Spread this over the lawn. Use the back of a rake to spread around. If you see the grass peeking through it should be spread enough. This mixture will really give the grass a shot in the arm. It will be growing and greening up before you know it.
Manure is also a good addition to the garden soil at this time of year. With our small gardens in the Chicago land area we are not always able to rotate our crops properly. We need to add nutrients to the soil so our plants can thrive. Manure goes down at a rate of 25 lbs per 100 square feet of soil.
It's also a good time to clean out the mulch around trees and bushes. Leave the old mulch down. Just make sure to clean out any sticks, garbage or other debris. Throw new mulch on top of the old. The old mulch will break down and add to the soil.
Happy Gardening,
KATHY WEAVER-ZECH & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO
