Dave wrote:
"Charles" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 26 Aug 2007 09:18:20 -0700, Javier wrote:

Next year I will be taking care of the lawn rather than using a local
lawn services, I simply can't afford it any more. Besides my lawn
mower, edge trimmer and leaf blower are there any other tools that I
need in order to keep my lawn healthy? I leave in North Eastern, NJ.

Javier

The comments in the thread are interesting, particularly about the
size of typical lawns. I'm in So. Cal, I timed my lawn mowing one
time. From getting off the sofa to back on the sofa, five minutes. I
didn't edge that time.

I use a battery mower, really like it, I have a personal problem with
small gas engines, especially ones that don't start immediately. Just
got a battery string trimmer that I can edge with.

Now I need a battery operated grass puller to get the grass out of the
flower beds.

My best friend while growing up used that term for the resting furniture in
the living room "sofa". My family still calls it a couch.

If it only takes 5 minutes to mow, I'd wonder why even bother having a lawn.
Dave

I have only a 1/3 acre in total but a relatively large amount of green
space, as I'm the exception in this area of fairly new developments in
that less than half of my lot is taken up by the house itself! I use a
riding mower for most of it -- even in such a small area without the
riding mower I would not be able to keep it up at all. I use a
walk-behind for two steeply sloped areas in front of the house (thank
God those bits are small!). I don't worry about spraying and feeding, as
I mulch the clippings from mowing and have clover growing. The only
regular edging I do is along the sidewalks and curb. Those areas would
be overrun with bindweed if I didn't edge them and keep the vines and
runners cut back. Watering is done with hoses and portable sprinklers,
so there is no in-ground irrigation system to maintain. Hedges and beds
are managed with weed suppression and mulching, and only need edging
once or twice a year to subdue encroachment. It takes me about an hour a
week to keep the place looking nice. Routine mower maintenance runs me
about $100.00 annually, including pick up and return by the maintenance
guy (someone probably thinks this is too much, I think it's fine for a
couple of decade-old mowers -- one a rider). It would be much easier to
have someone else come and do it for me, but they would invariably kill
my clover, "feed the grass" with spray-on nonsense, over-mulch, rake up
clippings and waste them in a landfill somewhere, nick the bark on the
trees, raise the level of noise pollution with leaf blowers, overwater,
gouge my bank account and diminish the quality of my time outdoors.

My grandmother used to call the couch a Chesterfield, and the small
couch on the screen porch was a settee.