Yard Work

[38Chevy454]

.....No mulching- I'd go broke buying mulch because I have a LOT of garden areas and it just covers up the weeds till they pop through again and you have to throw down more mulch. So, my gardens aren't the neatest. I spend about an hour every evening weeding and trimming back. One Garden Club members spends -3 hours a day on hers and they're immaculate- but also a lot fewer square feet than mine.

Last year I put put 15 cu yards of mulch around my place. Haven't figured out what I will need this year, but it will be less. Mulch does look nice and keeps weeds down some. But some weed maintenance and Round Up spraying still required.

 

[skyking1]

There was a strange phenomenon in my family. Over the period of 4 years, My brothers and sisters all moved from at least large city,lots if not farms, to Seattle.
Every yard implement and tool of that nature got handed down to me. I inherited a John Deere lawn tractor.
I've got enough yard tools to storm the castle.

 

[imjustawarrior]

Last year I put put 15 cu yards of mulch around my place. Haven't figured out what I will need this year, but it will be less. Mulch does look nice and keeps weeds down some. But some weed maintenance and Round Up spraying still required.

Our large dog was tearing up our side yards in the back when he would run from one side to the other. I mulched both sides last year using 12 yards. I then built flagstone walkways on each side. It was a fair bit of work, but now I don't have to mow. I was also able to eliminate 2 sprinkler zones.

I then put in some plants on one side. I converted a sprinkler zone to drip irrigation for the plants. My dog then started digging around them. I didn't want him to destroy the plants or irrigation, so I had to build a fence around that part of the side yard. An easy mulch job turned into quite a bit of work. I did everything myself. I would hate to think what it would have cost to pay someone.

 

[pacergal]

Yes, we have tracks all along our yard/fence where our pup does his zoomies and investigates the neighbors!--lol. DH adds mulch, compost and coffee grounds throughout the spring/summer.
We bought a self propelled electric mower a few years ago for our yard. DH was not ready to give up yard work yet.
I gave up the rose beds years ago, have a few containers for flowers, and plant bulbs in the rest of the garden beds.
We have flowering ground cover that has taken over parts of our beds and yard. DH and I fought it for years, pulling it up. Finally gave up. He will tidy up the yard edges and then He simply mows over it now.

 

[SnowballCamper]

It took a few years, but we have no grass on our 1/3 acre lot. Just paver patios, gravel paths, and native shrubs and trees. Yard work is once a year pruning along the paths and pressure washing the patios. It's great!

 

[Ronstar]

Last year I put put 15 cu yards of mulch around my place. Haven't figured out what I will need this year, but it will be less. Mulch does look nice and keeps weeds down some. But some weed maintenance and Round Up spraying still required.

I've switched from bulk mulch delivery to bags. I'm usually between 106 to 116 bags which is a little over 8 yards. And I do the weed maintenance/ roundup also.

I pick up about 8 bags at a time from Menards. Spread those. Then go back for more a few days later. It takes a month or 2 to get the mulch done, spreading mulch a half day at a time once or twice a week.

I usually don't start mulching until after the cottonwood trees have dropped their fuzzy seeds. So I'll start mulch around June 1 and be done end of July. Really doesn't matter - Can't see our house from the street, so nobody knows whether we mulch or not anyway.

 

[38Chevy454]

My mulching method using my utility trailer. Built a tow ball adapter for the mower. Buy 2 yards bulk mulch per trip, then use mower to haul around the yard spreading the mulch.

 

[Ronstar]

My mulching method using my utility trailer. Built a tow ball adapter for the mower. Buy 2 yards bulk mulch per trip, then use mower to haul around the yard spreading the mulch.

Ingenious!!

 

[street]

WOW!!! That is a lot of mulch Boy's. I bet things look beautiful.

 

[Walt34]

I still do all the yard work. Well, almost, once in a blue moon DW isn't happy that I'm not doing it soon enough and she'll go out and mow, but that is happening less and less. There was a period of about two years after I had the two stents put in that I hired a mowing service, but then all the docs agreed that "the best thing you can do for yourself is exercise" so after that I do all the yard work. Sometimes I have to break it up into chunks, I'm not gonna get silly about it, but it does get done.

 

[Car-Guy]

Sometimes I have to break it up into chunks, I'm not gonna get silly about it, but it does get done.

Almost everything I'm fixing, building or maintaining around the house/property is done in chucks these days. I can still do most things myself but at a slower pace, and these days I think about ways to make each task easier before starting.

 

[street]

Almost everything I'm fixing, building or maintaining around the house/property is done in chucks these days. I can still do most things myself but at a slower pace, and these days I think about ways to make each task easier before starting.

Yep, I do it in chunks also. I been applying an oil sealer to the one ranch cabin and doing one side every time I go there. It is easier on my body and since I retired, I take my time and don't hurry like I had too when I was working. It is a relaxed feeling and much more enjoyable.

 

[Ronstar]

I do work in chunks also. One of my rules is no more than 4 hours of yard work per day.

 

[street]

I do work in chunks also. One of my rules is no more than 4 hours of yard work per day.

LOL!!! I make time for recess and play time.

 

[athena53]

It took a few years, but we have no grass on our 1/3 acre lot. Just paver patios, gravel paths, and native shrubs and trees. Yard work is once a year pruning along the paths and pressure washing the patios. It's great!

I've got a lot of native grasses in the garden. You're right about the once-a-year pruning but otherwise I love them. I assume you have some sort of fabric under the gravel. My last house had plantings around the pool with gravel mulch and the builder apparently put nothing down to keep weeds out so they were poking through the gravel. A real pain to pull them.

 

[skyking1]

I had planned or renting a Kubota when I needed to mow the new place, a few times a year. $700 a year rental for a 25K purchase just seemed wiser. The rental place was so close I could road it over the 1.4 miles with no issues.
Then he closed up shop and is sipping margaritas in Baja somewhere.
Now I am rethinking the purchase. It was too easy before, now it involves a trailer and extra BS.

 

[Ronstar]

LOL!!! I make time for recess and play time.

Definitely! Recess and play time are must haves!

 

[folivier]

At our last house the 6' space between us and neighbor had been sodded. I knew the grass would die out soon due to lack of sun. So when it did I added recycled rubber tire mulch. It looked great, only had a rubber smell for a few days, has a great color warranty, and was a once and done.

 

[Drifter]

I take pride in a nice maintained yard. I am on my 4th mowing crew in the last 2 years. Nobody in South Florida can follow directions in my neighborhood. For some reason they can't comprehend not to cut less than 4 inches. Why I always enjoyed doing it myself.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Mowed today @ 85 F and high humidity. Small yard, though. Really need to rethink living in a house alone (have a dog though).

You can train your dog to go potty on a pad so you don’t have to take it outside if it’s a small dog. Even when I had my house I didn’t want them to go outside without me because of the hawks and coyotes.

When we had our house we put in very high quality Astro turf mainly because of not being allowed to water enough and the water shortage. At one point we had 3 small dogs and a big dog and 9 years later when we sold the house the buyers thought the grass was new. It never faded and never was hot to the touch. We bought a commercial grade of grass and had it shipped from Arizona.

 

[Car-Guy]

I had planned or renting a Kubota when I needed to mow the new place, a few times a year. $700 a year rental for a 25K purchase just seemed wiser. The rental place was so close I could road it over the 1.4 miles with no issues.
Then he closed up shop and is sipping margaritas in Baja somewhere.
Now I am rethinking the purchase. It was too easy before, now it involves a trailer and extra BS.

Have you thought about buying a used Kubota instead of new one and save some money? I've had two and these things and they are really reliable and tough machines. The only reason I bought a second one is I wanted a bigger tractor with more horsepower. How many acres do you need to mow?

 

[aja8888]

You can train your dog to go potty on a pad so you don’t have to take it outside if it’s a small dog. Even when I had my house I didn’t want them to go outside without me because of the hawks and coyotes.

When we had our house we put in very high quality Astro turf mainly because of not being allowed to water enough and the water shortage. At one point we had 3 small dogs and a big dog and 9 years later when we sold the house the buyers thought the grass was new. It never faded and never was hot to the touch. We bought a commercial grade of grass and had it shipped from Arizona.

My dog is house broken and don't want him going on a pad. The back yard is fine for that plus we walk 3 times per day in the neighborhood and he does his business on the walks (generally). I pick it up and put it in the trash. I'm rethinking having a house because I'm not using about 3/4 of the rooms and have no plans to have a live in new person.

 

[skyking1]

Have you thought about buying a used Kubota instead of new one and save some money? I've had two and these things and they are really reliable and tough machines. The only reason I bought a second one is I wanted a bigger tractor with more horsepower. How many acres do you need to mow?

about 3. It will not be a lawn, just brush mowing it 3 times a year for summer fires etc. I did entertain making some fairways and greens on it. The other acre plus is a wooded escarpment.
I picked rocks with an excavator and will continue with rock patrol on the lower portion over time, but not going to dial the whole thing in.

 

[Teacher Terry]

My dog is house broken and don't want him going on a pad. The back yard is fine for that plus we walk 3 times per day in the neighborhood and he does his business on the walks (generally). I pick it up and put it in the trash. I'm rethinking having a house because I'm not using about 3/4 of the rooms and have no plans to have a live in new person.

You mentioned possibly moving into an apartment and that’s why I mentioned that you can pad train a dog. I live on the third floor of my condo building and even with an elevator would not want to have to take a dog outside all the time.

Usually it takes me months to pad train an older dog when I adopt one. The last dog I adopted 2 months ago was using the pad by the end of day 3 because she saw the other dogs using it. I was really happy she’s so smart.

 

[Car-Guy]

about 3. It will not be a lawn, just brush mowing it 3 times a year for summer fires etc. I did entertain making some fairways and greens on it. The other acre plus is a wooded escarpment.
I picked rocks with an excavator and will continue with rock patrol on the lower portion over time, but not going to dial the whole thing in.
View attachment 55373

I would think you should be able to get by easily with a good riding lawn mower if you are mowing ~3 acres just 3 times year. No need for a mid to full size tractor and spending a lot of money. I also have a small John Deere riding lawn mower for close in work near the house, shop and an enclosed area for the dog.