wildflowers

[Kageri]

I'm thinking of doing a blue meadow with this mix http://www.americanmeadows.com/wildflower-seeds/midwest/blue-wildflower-seed-mix
and some extra blue lupine (I think they look more purple) seeds. I don't have a very big yard so even 500sq feet is more than I want. Thinking more like 10x20'. I'm wondering about preparing the soil to go from lawn to flowers, if I want a tiller I have to borrow it between the other person preparing their garden, best way to sow them, and how much to use? Will it store to throw part of it back on the area a year later? It says to mix with sand which I could do but I've debated actually mixing in a grain like oats or a legume like clover to harvest for my rabbits and chinchillas. Along with a few of any flowers that are edible. I will have another section in the existing garden specifically for edible flowers and herbs.

[rainbowgardener]

You could till it, but the grass is going to keep coming back. I would smother the grass. Dig out the sod (that isn't as hard as it sounds--if you have a sharp spade, you can pretty much just peel it back). Flip the sod over, grass side down and cover it with a little bit of dirt.* Lay down a whole bunch of cardboard (or you can use newspaper, but then you need a bunch of thicknesses) over the top, 1 or 2 layers deep. Water the cardboard well. Then put down 4 inches or so of good soil on top of the cardboard and plant in to that. By the time your seeds have roots enough to get down to the cardboard, it will be pretty broken down. The cardboard smothers the grass and then eventually breaks down and gets out of the way and you have just a nice deep planting bed. I have done this myself to turn pieces of my lawn into flower bed and it works like a charm.

The only thing is if the bed is going to be right next to the lawn it used to be part of, the grass will tend to keep growing into it from the bordering lawn. So you need some kind of edging barrier between the lawn and your new bed, something that sinks down at least 4" in to the ground, to keep the grass roots from migrating in.

But of course you know July is not the right time to be doing this. And yes you can store the seed for later, in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator.

*you could just remove the sod, put it somewhere else in the yard if you want more grass, or compost it. I just hate to waste organics so just leaving it in place is a simple way to deal with it.

[Kageri]

I'm not planting now. I was going to order in the spring. I just wanted to start on the ground. We aren't even moving in until Aug 2nd. There will be plenty of cardboard boxes again. There is a fenced off section with rhubarb at one end. I don't know how big it is or what else is growing in there but it's already separated from the yard. I will have to see if that could work with less effort or if I might as well tear up a section of the yard.

The chickens and rabbits would make quick work of sod. In fact it might even be effective to just set the pens over that area until it's plant free. I don't know how fast they would eat it down. Maybe till it and then put chickens over it to peck green stuff and scratch the dirt. Chicken tilling and fertilizing.