Anny Grace

I have been reading through a few discussions here and really appreciate how practical and experience-based the advice is. I am still quite new to gardening and lawn care, but I have started taking more interest in how soil health and grass selection affect long term results.


Most of what I am learning is focused on warmer regions where heat and dry conditions can be challenging. I have been trying to understand how to keep grass healthy without relying too much on chemicals, especially during peak summer. Things like mowing height, watering timing, and improving soil seem to make a big difference, but I feel like I am only scratching the surface.


One thing I am curious about is how people here approach building a thick and resilient lawn in hot climates while keeping it sustainable. Do you focus more on soil improvement first, or grass type selection, or both at the same time.


I am also interested in learning small changes that made a big difference in your own lawns or gardens.

Rebekah Harmon wrote:Many of you know I recently preserved 1 Million calories. For most, thats a whopper of a project, but its pretty normal for me to produce and preserve a large chunk of food each year. Big family: lots of eaters!!

There was one unsatisfying thing to me about all the processing involved in that project: the focus on the  calories. While calories will keep a body alive, its far from the only metric important to a homesteader.  While French fries and pancakes are delicious, so much more is needed to fuel all the tasks to keep farm systems running.

I love producing food that nurtures my family! I also am enamored with the idea of producing everything needed to maintain optimum health! I'm often scheming new things to grow that eliminates groceries I buy. Since I am a macro-counting health coach, I'm SUPER curious to see how much of a balanced diet I can grow or forage from my community.

One thing that seems to help is thinking in layers. For example, staple crops can cover energy needs, but then there is space for nutrient dense additions like leafy greens, herbs, and perennial plants.