I've often thought about the drastic nature of our society and every time I hear an example of yet another good idea gone rogue I sigh with impatience. Why are we all so quick to label things good, bad, right, wrong?
Take, for instance, the case of the humble lawn. There was a time when an endless expanse of grassy carpet equaled Nirvana. Every house in my development had the requisite square of green gracing the front yard and a fake redwood picnic table out back. I recall as a child sitting in a neighbor's lawn trying to detect one single weed (okay, it was the pre-cell phone era and I guess I had a lot of time on my hands back then). Lush green grass on the outside of every home and wall-to-wall carpeting on the inside equaled the Middle-Class American Dream Neighborhood.
Fast forward to today. Vegetables: good. Grass: bad. Vegetables have flowers so they can be decorative; they nourish us, both body and soul. Lawns give nothing back. They take a tremendous amount of time and energy to maintain. And EVERYONE knows that to attain a weed-free lawn, you need a truckload of chemicals. All of this is true. Except for one small detail: Grass is a plant, not an entity devised by some evil genius to destroy core American values. Where is all this anti-fescue sentiment leading? Will there come a day when those intrepid souls who plant grass in their front yards will suffer the taunts and jeers of their neighbors? Will people spit on their lawn as they pass?
Grass can serve a purpose. It is often vital along hillsides and other areas where soil erosion would be problematic without grassy roots anchoring it down. It provides a relatively clean carpet over dirt and is home and food to many living things. Granted, we often feel many of the critters that benefit from grass are pesky to us, yet they are all part of nature's cycle of life. Like grass itself, they have a place here.
In our world of extreme views, I suggest something radical: moderation. Why don't we understand that grass has its place in the world too? I am by no means touting the idea of better living through chemicals. Indeed, clover in the front lawn is key to the well-being of the grass since this plant from the bean family (I kid you not!) fixates nitrogen in the soil. Grass, as we know, can't survive without plenty of nitrogen. So let a little clover mingle with the grass for their mutual benefit.
Other ways to keep a nice-looking, chemical-free lawn include using white vinegar to douse unwanted weeds. I spritzed some on a patch of moss in the middle of my front lawn, tossed a few grass seeds on the spot a week later and now I have only healthy grass growing there. Also important: keep grass about three inches long. Not only will it look fuller but it will help choke out weeds. When planting in the spring, make sure seeds go down after the last frost (usually around Mother's Day in the northeast where I live) and try to time the planting with a rainy stretch to cut down on the need for the garden hose.
I love flower gardens. I love vegetable gardens too. I believe in the power of all nature's plants. And although I "think green" (a very good web site to check out is ironically called, Growfoodnotlawns.com), I also recall the pleasure derived lounging as a small girl in a thick thatch of grass, staring up at the clouds and dreaming. Perhaps providing a soft cushion to starry-eyed children is grass' greatest attribute and reason enough to let it live.
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