Over the summer Daddy and I have been busy with a fun outdoor project in our backyard. While Mommy spent the days sitting under the umbrella with my baby sister, Daddy and I did a major overhaul on our lawn. The goal was to replace the struggling grass we had with thick and lush grass.

The past couple of years have not been kind to our lawn. It all began when I was born and Mommy and Daddy found themselves too busy for lawn maintenance. Then the removal of two trees left the ground uneven and unsafe. Weeds began to take over and the lawn started to resemble a wild jungle. It was time for drastic measures.

The entire project took several weeks but the end results were well worth the effort. With just a bit of work anyone can have a perfect lawn. Looking back it seems to me that the job can be broken down into three relatively simple phases. It really is quite easy and with the right attitude it can be lots of fun.

1. Prepare the Surface

The first step is to remove what is unwanted. In our case that meant digging up all the weeds and whatever grass managed to grow among them. It just wasn’t worth salvaging. Daddy and I used shovels to remove all plant matter.

This phase took a while to complete and every evening Daddy flopped down on the couch and complained of aches and pains. I felt great and had energy to spare. Daddy has a tendency to be overly dramatic at times.

Once we were down to bare earth, the area needed some levelling. For this we used shovels and buckets to remove high spots and fill in low spots. There was quite a bit of digging involved but it was great fun. Almost like building sand castles at the beach. At the end we used rakes to smooth everything out.

2. Laying Down Grass

When we decided that we were happy with our work, Daddy arranged for a delivery of new grass. Apparently it comes from a farm where grass is grown specifically for this purpose. They cut out sheets of it, roll it up, and call it sod. A truck arrived and deposited rolls of fresh, thick, and lush grass ready to be installed.

The next part was easy. All you need to do is sprinkle a bit of topsoil on the ground, unroll the sod just like carpet, and put it in place. The edges need to be trimmed to fit the space and you’re done. Daddy said we’re not supposed to walk on it right away and for me the hardest part was staying off the freshly installed grass.

3. Keeping it Wet

This was by far my favourite part of the project. New grass needs to be watered constantly until the roots take hold. If it dries out it turns yellow and dies. We spent weeks keeping the lawn moist which required watering daily, if not multiple time per day depending on the weather.

We’ve had such a warm summer that most days we had to make use of sprinklers to give the grass a good soaking. This was my first encounter with sprinklers and I never knew how much fun they are. Running through a curtain of cold water is my favourite way to cool off on a hot day. I spent weeks giggling and shrieking as I danced around the sprinklers.

Weeks later our grass is strong enough that it doesn’t need constant watering anymore. It’s rather disappointing but it has freed up a lot of time to go out looking for fun beyond the confines of our fence. The sprinklers are still there for days when our new lawn needs a bit of extra water and I always make sure to remind Daddy to turn the sprinklers on when it gets hot outside.

Our struggling, uneven, weed infested, and sad looking lawn has been transformed into a green paradise. Now I can run and play without tripping over crabgrass or falling into a hole. This project was a lot of work and took a great deal of time but it was fun and rewarding. We now have the greenest grass on the block!