Need Help.....

[New Jersey Exit 109]

1st time homeowner....always lived in Condo/apartments prior to first house. Have a dirt yard that was covered with hay for the winter months. Need to get started with my first lawn. Need guidance....where do I begin. I know I need to rototill and seed. What seed do I use? Should I put something down before seeding. Backyard is mostly sun all day. Front is partial sun. Need feedback. Thanks!

[RAlmaroad]

1st time homeowner....always lived in Condo/apartments prior to first house. Have a dirt yard that was covered with hay for the winter months. Need to get started with my first lawn. Need guidance....where do I begin. I know I need to rototill and seed. What seed do I use? Should I put something down before seeding. Backyard is mostly sun all day. Front is partial sun. Need feedback. Thanks!

There's a tremendous amount of equipment to use to do a good job. Much too numerous to mention here. Why don't you contract one of the pros to do it for you. Otherwise you'll be second guessing yourself at best. There's soil to consider, type of climate, type of see, type of fertilizer based on soil test. Strawing or not, irrigation and watering to consider, walks, spreaders, on and on and on. After you watch carefully, maintaining your investment would be the next step to consider. Yea, hire it done would be your best and wisest decision, plus, you'd save on rental equipment and transporting it.

[LarryF]

1st time homeowner....always lived in Condo/apartments prior to first house. Have a dirt yard that was covered with hay for the winter months. Need to get started with my first lawn. Need guidance....where do I begin. I know I need to rototill and seed. What seed do I use? Should I put something down before seeding. Backyard is mostly sun all day. Front is partial sun. Need feedback. Thanks!

I live near you. There's a Lesco dealer nearby that should be able to help.

http://www.lesco.com/prodcatalog/storefinder.aspx?store=571

It's a little hard to find, because it's one of the many concrete-block garages in back of a large building on Industrial Way close to Rt 35. They deal mostly with professional lawn guys, but they don't seem to mind taking a homeowner's money too. Homeowners have to pay a bit more for their products, I think, but the prices are still good and the advice you get from them will be orders of magnitude better than any you'll get from Home Depot or Lowe's personnel. For me, it's also been better than what I had gotten from some of other places you probably heard about that are nearby, like Lawes, Potter or Beckers. But you might want to try them too.

[Capemay Eagle]

If it is covered in hay it is already seeded. I am not sure but that is why they put down hay right??