Tilling the yard advice please

[dgk]

Ok, I'm convinced. I hold off on tilling. One other thing I should have mentioned is that there is no way to get anything into the backyard without going through the house, so sod is going to be awkward. But, I never heard of a sod cutter before and it certainly makes sense that tilling clay can be messy.

Instead of heading off to rent a tiller, I'll look around at sod cutters and the availability of sod. I suppose they put roundup all over the sod but at least I won't know about it. Maybe.

Thanks for the advice. I'll head over to the local Garden World for a start.

[Eggs Zachtly]

[...]

A sod cutter resembles a heavy mower, or tiller. It has a blade that sits parallel to the ground, and the depth of its cut is adjustable. As the cutter propels itself along, the blade moves side to side, as well as front/back, in order to cut a long strip of sod, leaving behind a fairly smooth (barring any rocks) surface.

You then cut the long strip into smaller ones, making them easier to handle. Just roll them up and carry them off. The new sod comes in small rolls, that you just unroll in place and snug up against the previously laid one.

Nope, no need to spray anything. Just cut it up and haul it away. =)

Good luck, man. Like I said, I'm not sure who'd have one, but someone will. =)

[dgk]

...

Garden World (which is familiar with the local soil) says that I likely wouldn't have much problem with clay after a few passes with a tiller, but that I would need to compact the soil, or sink every time someone walked on it.

That's a problem with having an attached house (row house) since getting anything into or out of the yard usually means going though the house. There is really no way to get a big roller back there. It also means some heavy and messy lifting for sod.

So I went the conservative route for this time. I spent Saturday digging up the bare areas and filling them in with peat moss, topsoil, and some lime and seed. I then did the topping suggested by the link from Data. I spread peat moss all over the lawn, then went over it with lime (pellets). I also did the areas reserved for vegetables. Then I watered (lightly)

Sunday I fertilized and watered (lightly) and had the first barbeque of the season. Now I wait to see how much of the see is left by the birds. Much of it is buried under the thin peatmoss layer so I should be all right.

Thanks again for the advice. It won't be perfect but it won't be a big mess either.

[Eggs Zachtly]

Good luck, man. Sometimes the best route isn't possible, but it sounds like you did the best with what you have to work with. I'm sure it'll be fine. =)