You might recall that I’m attempting to establish a clover/fescue lawn in our front yard. Clover is a fantastic nitrogen fixer (meaning it actually makes the soil better as it grows), it requires very little water or mowing, and attracts honeybees and other beneficial insects during its bloom cycle. White Dutch clover was once a large percentage of commercial grass seed mixes until the midcentury putting-green aesthetic took over. I’m cheap and lazy, so I’m growing clover.
Josh and I spread a good inch or so of compost/topsoil all over the front yard (after pulling out all the creeping weeds that had taken hold), raked it flat, and on November 13 thickly scattered clover and fescue seeds. We rigged up a couple of decent sprinklers to keep the seeds moist till they germinated. Really, we only ran them for about 15 minutes twice a day for the first weekâand we cut back on our other water usage during that time. We lucked out with a couple decent misty days when we didn’t need to use the sprinklers. My concern was a couple of frosty mornings in the 20s, but the low temps only seemed to encourage the clover to get a move on. Here it is today, a mere two weeks later.
Not bad, right? Considering this was an empty expanse of brown compost two weeks ago (and empty red clay before that), this is a good start. We do have some indentations where a big buck ran through, but that just adds charm, I suppose.
Here’s a closeup of some of the clover I seeded about a month ago. The compost really juiced up the sprouts, and there are several really lush spots emerging now. I can’t wait till spring when all the seedlings will have leafed out nicely.
In the foreground is the experimental patch I planted a month ago. In the background is two-week growth. The month-old stuff is so lush and soft that you just want to run your hands over it. I think it’ll be really nice to walk barefoot on this lawn once it fills in.
Nice! I think that’s a great idea…congrats that it’s taking off so well. I opt for a more natural lawn too, though now it’s weeds, grass, and wildflowers. (Fine, but I’d like a nice sedge of some sort). But after seeing this, I think clover should be incorporated as well…thanks for the inspiration!