This is also about gardening, but on a frugal level.

[IrishAyes]

The planet's not getting any cooler and I like a green if somewhat - bohemian? - lawn. So I've long wanted some Grassology seed because it's a drought resistant dwarf. You save on water and energy, plus $ if you reach the age when you have to start hiring out at least one major grunt job. But it's also a rather expensive luxury purchase for me.

Then a couple days ago the one swank store in town had it on sale, 3 lbs for $18! Still steep but far less than usual. Since I have 2 dogs, I can't very well just scatter and cover the seed like a lot of people would. But it occurred to me that I could sprout the seed in little plugs and plant those when they're well on their way. There were only enough peat pots to use far less than a pound of the seed, and I was out of potting soil anyway. So I'll start another batch as soon as these are hatched, then quit until early fall. Plenty left over to resume operations next Spring too. Since so many little starter pots are needed, I'll probably start making my own with newspapers from the library and the publisher of the regional weekly, both within easy walking distance.

My goal is not only to have a lawn capable of handling worsening climate (roots extend 4 times deeper than regular grass) but also to reduce summer mowing costs. Where I retired, nobody needs to water lawns yet. The day might be coming, though, and I'm willing to invest now to avoid spending more later.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

1. I'm not a big fan of lawns or grass that has to be mowed at all.

I've been watching happily as more and more of my grass is being edged out by dwarf purple or white violets and white clover, and my raspberry patch has been expanding. And the bushes I planted are getting close to large enough to provide habitats for nesting birds. It was a disappointing spring, though. Funky weather resulted in 3 of my 4 fruit trees not blossoming out, so no cherries this year, and far fewer apples.

[IrishAyes]

2. Sincere kudos to you. I suppose the less grass the better, in certain ways. But!

I still want some, and it beats the heck out of weeds. I just don't want to be out too much in maintenance or make my carbon footprint any heavier than it has to be.

My own little 1/4 acre is heavily landscaped with an eye to food production and wildlife habitat. Neighborhood eyebrows have also been raised over my preference for letting creeping charlie run riot. I think it's absolutely beautiful and besides, after a thorough soaking, it pulls up easily from places it doesn't belong. One of my raised bed rose gardens has a groundcover of strawberries, too. Did you know that rose hips supply a lot of vitamin C and that you can make rose petal jelly? If everything's organic of course.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

3. I know about the roses in the abstract.

I've been dubious about trying it, since I really only have two small rose bushes, and when I first planted them, I let someone talk me into spraying them with what I misunderstood to be a 'feeding mix' and only afterward realized had pesticides. That's been a decade or so, but I don't know how long that crap lasts in the soil. That was the first and last time that any sort of pesticides have been applied to my property since I've owned it. We have enough strawberry beds that we got about 3 gallons of berries last season to make into jam, although I need to weed them bigtime. I certainly wouldn't mind adding rose petal jelly to the strawberry and black raspberry jams in the pantry. I'd also like to experiment with 'green wall' gardening, to increase the area in which I can plant.

[IrishAyes]

4. Endlessly fascinating, isn't it?

Want to know one thing that made me reject soda pop forever? Learning that poor farmers in developing countries use Pepsi and Coca Cola in place of pesticides. Just as effective, far less costly. Do I really want to drink that stuff???? I don't even want to subject my plants to it!

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

5. Yeargh.

Brawndo! It's got what plants crave!

Sadly, I still drink soda. Off and on I drink far less, but I've always wound up drinking it again in addition to tea or coffee. I prefer a good ginger-based soda, but I'll also still do vanilla or cherry diet coke. There's just something appealing about slightly acid drinks...

[IrishAyes]

6. Yeah, but coffee and tea are good for you. Soda kills.

[Curmudgeoness]

7. I have more grass than I would like to have,

but much less than in the past. I kept expanding gardens out further into the lawn. But sadly, I have healthier grass growing in the beds than in the lawn. And my lawn is so full of weeds that I am sure my neighbors wish I would put down lots of weed killer. I refuse to use any chemicals, so I have to live with the weeds.....and they are really what I have to mow more than the grass. But I also have all sorts of interesting things that have popped up in the lawn....my favorite is a patch of trout lilies in a grass-sparse shaded area. They have never once bloomed, but they come back each spring. I have no idea where they came from.

[IrishAyes]

8. My general rule of thumb outside the food area is, if it blooms and takes care of itself, let it be.

I have about 340' of fence at loose count, and I'm proud to say that I seldom have to trim the line or dig out weeds at all. Creeping Charlie was here at the start, and I've done everything possible to expand it. Transplanted plugs, etc. I think it's gorgeous, one of the most beneficial plants around. People here act like it's a plague or something.