Hello,

So to start out, I just purchased a house! I'm super excited and nervous but overall I can't wait to get into this house and start making it my own. The first thing I wanted to do when I moved in was grow a lawn in the backyard.



Currently, this backyard is just a dirt lot and it's pretty hard-packed with like no weeds. And so my question is what steps do I need to take to ensure I can plant some seed and grow grass. I'm super dumb when It comes to this stuff and I've never even considered doing any kind of yard work as I've never really had a yard I could do something in. I know it's more than just laying seed and fertilizer and watering.

I assume I need to till the ground to loosen up the soil. Do I need to lay any layers of stuff down? If anyone can give me a good play-by-play I would be super appreciative.

We just did this at my house, last fall. We raked and tilled the entire yard so the seed would take. Spread the seed and set up sprinklers. And then waited. Plus, we didn't walk on the newly planted grass we just let it be. In a weeks time we had a lawn. Easy.

We can't really give you a proper answer without knowing where you are, soil type, acidity, sun or shade, etc.

New lawns are very difficult to establish for experienced people, let alone for people like yourself. My suggestion is for you to research lawns a lot. The better "armed" that you are going in, the more success you'll have.
You can't really just jump right in and say, "Today I am going to grow a lawn!" You might have some luck but without really knowing what you are doing, it can get frustrating and expensive super quick!!!

RizzoR said: Easy.

AAARRRRRRHHHH - I used to put in new lawns, seed, not sod, and on occasion you will hit a sweet spot, BUT, the other 98.6 percent of the time it is difficult to a genuine hemorrhoid.

FidgetBox said: Hello,

So to start out, I just purchased a house! I'm super excited and nervous but overall I can't wait to get into this house and start making it my own. The first thing I wanted to do when I moved in was grow a lawn in the backyard.



Currently, this backyard is just a dirt lot and it's pretty hard-packed with like no weeds. And so my question is what steps do I need to take to ensure I can plant some seed and grow grass. I'm super dumb when It comes to this stuff and I've never even considered doing any kind of yard work as I've never really had a yard I could do something in. I know it's more than just laying seed and fertilizer and watering.

I assume I need to till the ground to loosen up the soil. Do I need to lay any layers of stuff down? If anyone can give me a good play-by-play I would be super appreciative.

I will start by saying:
Do you have neighbors with lawns you look at and say "thats a nice lawn"
Its a good start to strike up a conversation with them and what they do to get those results

I would start with a soil sample. Local Extension services or Other professional testing.
I used Umass as Im located. In SE Massachusetts zone 6b
I all ready knew I was low in organic compound and my soil or should I say Dirt was mostly sand and rock in a large percent of my lawn.

So get a soil sample. If weeds are not present theres some series deficiencies or previous owner killed off everything?

Then figure out what type of grass you want that will grow in your zone
Be thought full of how much water you can have available and how much mowing you want to do.

I like GCI Turf on you tube.
Long winded but most Youtubers are, got to get that minutes watched count up .

Plenty others out there.