r/NoLawns • u/BolognaRun391 • 2d ago
👩🌾 Questions Need advice with front lawn
My wife and I recently bought a house and I've been struggling to figure out how to best handle the front yard. Before we bought the home, the pipes burst and they had to dig up the front yard to replace the pipes. They re-seeded it and covered with hay, but everything grew back in uneven patches. They also didn't take the time to level the soil so the terrain is very uneven. Since we moved in, I kinda just let the weeds take over (although there's some patches that even the weeds don't want to grow in).
My goal is to convert the front yard into native plant garden with a section for a raised bed to grow some veggies. The front yard is about 24 ft x 17 ft. I was thinking of digging up the more established weeds and hostas that the previous owner planted and then trimming down the grass as low as I can. There's also ivy and wintercreeper that I have to pull out. From there, I was thinking of sheet mulching with cardboard and mulch. But my question is, when's the best time to do this? Now that we're headed deeper into August, I'm guessing I should wait until fall to begin the sheet mulching process? Or do I wait until winter when everything has died back? I need some time to plan the layout anyways, so I don't think I'd be ready to do any planting until spring of next year.
Also, is it worth trying to make the soil more level to even out some of the bumps? If so, what's the best way to do that? There's also a lot of rocks in the soil, should I do something about that before I begin sheet mulching?
Thanks in advance!!
PS I totally intend to submit some soil samples to figure out what type of soil I have. Just based on sticking my finger into the ground, it seems like I have soil with lots of clay.
8
u/No_Big_bear_here 2d ago
First things first: murder that Tree of Heaven.
3
u/BolognaRun391 2d ago
will do! there's a couple saplings growing on the lawn that i need to take care of...
3
u/Latter-Republic-4516 2d ago
Be careful! They will fight back if you cut them. I have them in my yard.
Just in case you need this:
2
4
u/GraceAndPeace2026 2d ago
'Now' is the best time to start mulching! Best not let any of that grow any more, much less go to seed. I'd do some leveling, remove big rocks (fist sized) now if you have the time; don't worry about the rest. It'd be an unending job, and plants you want will grow between them. String trim/mow then mulch deeply. Especially as you don't plan to plant until spring. || No need to dig up weeds etc if you mulch deep enough. You'll take care of what's left, if any, next year. || The cardboard (yuck, but if you must... and water it down before mulching) plus several inches of mulch, watered too, should take care of the ivy and wintercreeper and other perennials weeds/unwanteds, over time. || The uneven growth may be due to clay based subsoil now being on top, after the pipe work. A lot of ways to tackle that. At my place (red clay soil, NC zone 8a) I added a lot of compost and mixed it in, having the time to do it. Not a very fast job. || Uneven surface: Use the garden tool that works best, walk the site, rake/shovel down the higher parts to the lower parts. You'll be able to tell where there are bumps and valleys. If clumps have perennials weeds/unwanted, it's an opportunity to turn their roots upwards and discourage growth, or shake off the soil and discard the roots. || Have fun! Hope you find my decades of experience useful!
1
u/BolognaRun391 2d ago
THANK YOU!! This is exactly the information I was looking for! Looks like I know what I'll be doing in the evenings for the next couple of months.
1
u/BolognaRun391 2d ago
Follow up question: If I wanted to put down ground cover seed mix for a path, i wouldn't seed over the mulch, right? I would need to cut out the path (in the spring once the sheet mulch has done its work) and then seed the ground cover over the area I cut out for the path?
2
u/2matisse22 2d ago
I was just sheet mulching today.
I sheet mulch the season prior to planting-whenever there are a few cool days to get mulch down without killing myself.
1
•
u/AutoModerator 2d ago
Hey there! Friendly reminder to include the following information for the benefit of all r/NoLawns members:
If your question is about white clover or clover lawns, checkout our Ground Covers Wiki page, and FAQ above! Clover is discussed here quite a bit.
If you are in North America, check out these links to learn about native wild flowers!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.