Posts Tagged ‘kill your lawn’

Win Free Entry to See A Chemical Reaction Screening in Seattle and Meet Paul Tukey

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

This giveaway is now closed. However tickets are still available. Details here.

Today I’m offering a free pass to see award-winning documentary film, A Chemical Reaction, later this month is the Seattle area. Want to know more about the film itself or about the film event with keynote speaker Paul Tukey? Go here.

Already know about the film and just want to win a pass to the show? Here’s how:

  • In the comments area of this post, enter your favorite lawn story. It can be a story of why you love lawns, why you dislike lawns, how you’ve changed your lawn, how you’ve gotten sick from lawn care programs, or anything lawn. Have fun with it!
  • Do not try to submit an entry through Facebook, Twitter, email, contact forms or other methods. This will just make me grumpy and definitely won’t get you a free pass to the film.
  • Entries must be submitted by Friday, February 12, 2010 at 5pm pst to qualify.
  • Be sure to include contact information in case you win. Twitter handle is ideal, if possible, as winner will be announced on Twitter.
  • Tickets or other forms of entry passes will be provided at will-call.
  • I will perform a completely subjective form of judging to determine the winner, so strive to be entertaining!
  • I will select and announce the winner via @gardenmentor on Twitter on Monday, February 15, 2010, so be sure to start following us there to find out if you’ve won. And, please retweet this event to spread the word about this important film event!

(Garden Mentors is a member of COOL, the group sponsoring this event. And, Garden Mentors is a funding sponsor of the event itself. However, Garden Mentors is receiving no compensation for this event or for giving away this ticket. This free opportunity to see the film is just that and there is no cash value, trade-in option, or any other options attached. And, nothing else comes with this pass to see the film; you’ll have to find your way there yourself…even if you have to ride in on your lawnmower.

If you’re not in Seattle, check safelawns.org for screenings of this film in your area; Garden Mentors is not giving away tickets to any other screenings, however. )


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Garden Coach on Removing Grass with Little Effort by Sheet Mulching

Monday, October 26th, 2009

When I meet with a new garden coaching client, I always come armed with information on caring for lawns lawns in sustainable ways. However, these days I find myself pulling that information out of my client packets and exchanging it for information on how to remove lawns. Reducing lawns in favor of lower maintenance, more sustainable options has been on the increase — significantly so in 2009. Whether they’re looking for groundcover alternatives, new beds or just lower maintenance, sheet mulching makes getting there easy.

Thyme is a lovely, dog-friendly lawn alternative

Thyme is a lovely, dog-friendly lawn alternative

Fall is my favorite time to begin lawn removal programs. Why? Well, rain is abundant in the Pacific Northwest. And, we tend to spend less time lounging in the garden during the rainy season, so tearing up our lawn in fall doesn’t impact our day-to-day fun. Plus, at this time, soil microbial activity hasn’t come to a halt. So, by choosing to sheet mulch our lawns this time of year, we are able to opt for a passive removal method. We don’t break out backs with a lot of digging. We don’t run a fuel-hungry sod cutter or roto-tiller. And, we don’t have to find ways to get rid of the lawn we would otherwise dig out. Instead, the lawn nutrients are “tilled” into the soil by soil microbia, which convert this nitrogen rich organic material into forms ready for your spring plantings.

It may take a while for the garden life to complete lawn removal, but the life in the soil does the work for us during the months we’re unlikely to be using our garden. And, leaves are abundant! So, rather than putting them in yard waste or seeing them clog storm drains, collect them up and put them to use in removing your lawn and building beautiful, nutrient-rich new planting beds in time for spring.

Read more about how to remove your lawn and recycle its nutrient value into your garden here: (more…)

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