You've come to the right place. Lots of good advice from posters here.

Depends on your budget. You could pay to have $od in$talled. They'll
pull up and level your entire property if you like. Doing it yourself
means pulling the weeds. You could Roundup the whole thing, but then
you'll have to wait a couple weeks so as not to kill new seed. Weed B
Gone works too. I don't know if it'd hinder germinating seed. If you're
North, then this is about the latest I'd throw seed down. Then keep it
wet. You won't be able to enjoy the lawn for a couple months. You need
to decide what's best for you.

Just one thing- please don't let the dog crap on neighbors' lawns! :-p
(see other posts)




wrote:
Hello All,

I have never planted anything in my life. I am completely new to
gardening and lawn care.

My wife and I recently bought our first house. We have a large
backyard but it is in rough shape. Most of the yard has grass but
there are large patches of dirt (we think there may have been trees
there originally). But the biggest problem is the weeds. About two
thirds of the lawn is covered in some sort of purple weed. The other
third is covered in dandellions. There are also small prickly things
growing everywhere.

My question is ... where do we start? Do we have to hand pluck all
the
weeds? Is there an organic solution? Should we hire someone or do
it
ourselves? We have a dog so we don't want to use any harsh chemicals
that could pose a danger.

If anyone has any advice for a first time homeowner it would be
greatly
appreciated.

Thanks a lot,

Matt