What do you use your lawn for? (vegetables, front yard, weeds)

[gentlearts]

Our dog would actually prefer to do his thing on concrete, so that's not the lawns main function.

I'd say it serves to give the hubby something to fuss over, an excuse to chat with his little friends who are out tending their lawns, and a reason to fuss with the mechanicals, like the mower, blower, trimmer, edger, etc.

As for me, I love smelling it after it's cut.

[Ncliving60]

We live on a large slope, so our lawn is very useful in keeping the soil beneath in place when it rains. Even if we were on flat land, we would have a lawn, though. We love the green in season and the beige of the winter cover. As gardeners, the lawn helps set the stage for flower beds and trees. We love to mow and tend. Our grandchildren enjoy croquet, cornhole, tossing their football or playing soccer on the grass. We often host a neighborhood picnic in our garden and the lawn makes a perfect spot. Sometimes we simply sit out in our chairs to read, watch the birds search for worms in the grass and enjoy. No matter the day, when we get up, our first steps are to the window that overlooks our garden for a peak. I cannot imagine our home without a lawn.

[jean_ji]

Originally Posted by TerraDown

Yes, back when I was a kid, we played football on flat green surfaces, or played baseball, or any other various games. After dark, it was Ghost in the Graveyard.
But sadly, kids today have forgotten how to play outside thanks to technology.

What's wrong with kids running in fields of grass? I think they are supposed to.

Don't get me wrong, I love tech. I just wish kids weren't so 'connected' to social media so early on. That ruins their imagination, imho.

Today, as an older fellow, I use my lawn as---not much lawn. Where I live we have a naturally growing 'weed' called pusley (scientific) or 'Florida snow.' It takes over, grows low, and invites multitudes of bee
species, pollen-seeking wasps, and butterflies. Since we live on acreage, it is a field of dreams to wake up and see the pollinator community. (Honeybees, yes!)

This so-called weed is only a weed to people who don't look at it's benefits, it was here before I was, and the bees would certainly agree.

We also use some of our 'lawn' space for sustainable gardening. Research the plants that are good for your climate, that can feed you and the wildlife. You'd be surprised as how much this can enrich your life, and the lives of the animals that were naturally here before us.

We have raised bed gardening, as well as three settings for people to relax and communicate. 4 small ponds for fish and frogs. It's charming to walk around here.

I suspect you being from Cali, are already thinking this way. (I so miss California!)

With the dry weather and not irrigating, the pusley took over our sunny sideyard this year and indeed looked like snow. There were so many honeybees I could hear their hum when I was outside. I love it and can enjoy it since I don't live in an HOA.

I appreciate the look of a well manicured lawn, but know the fertilizer and pesticides needed to keep lawn pristine require more work, money and chemical exposure than I want. We had a perfect lawn when I was a kid and I was sad to learn clover and dandelions were the enemy. In my yard the less chemicals and more bees, the better.

[BostonMike7]

The kids play on it.




I have about 1/2 acre of nice flat land, so it's a pretty decent size lawn. Maybe 1/3 of that is the front yard which is really just landscraping, and not really used, but the back yard is where the kids play. When we moved in, it was nothing but overgrown trees with rotting limbs, leaning dangerously, and so much canopy no grass grew, it was just moss and wet rotting leaves. Too the trees out, graded it all flat, and dumped so much seed onto it the local birds are still fat.


The reward is a nice, flat, perfect green lawn. Still reducing weeds, but the density is slowing increasing to the point where hopefully I don't need to worry about that.


We are planning on adding a deck, and patio/firepit area this summer, and after that i'll replant some shade trees once I figure out the ideal layout for the yard.


Front yard is just flat grass, with some landscaping around the house, and two nice Japanese Bloodgoods framing the two sides of the house.

[misterjimmy]

Maintain clear lines of fire...

[ABQConvict]

Lawn functions:

-soil retention/erosion prevention
-temperature moderation
-security (reduces cover used by tresspassers)
-aesthetics
-fire break
-reduces danger from falling trees/branches especially in storm prone areas
-reduces runoff/flooding
-creates area comfortable for bare feet
-provides surface for lawn games/activities like croquet, bocce, golf practice
-provides an outlet for a gardening niche (lawn care as recreation)
-reduces pest habitat (mice/rats/ticks/other insects)
-recuces mud and debris in areas with foot traffic

Lawns are not always appropriate, such as in desert or drought prone areas, and they can be very high maintenance for some people. Additionally, many of the above advantages can be acheived through xeriscaping, meadow/wildflower plots, intensive garden plots, orchards, manicured woodlands, and other landscaping and landscape architecture such as decks and patios. However, an appropriate and well maintained lawn is generally an advantageous domestic land use.

[SoCal25]

Personally, I use it mostly for Camaro parking. My dogs seem to like having a lawn as well, though they don't have any cars of their own.

[G Grasshopper]

Depending on where you live, lawns can be real water hogs. Most people don't use front yards much at all, and back yards are debatable. When our kids were young, we had no lawn at all. Just patio, deck, garden, etc. They played lots of games without grass. There was plenty of lawn at the soccer field, parks, school yard, etc. It is not a good idea to have all/most of your yard paved, as you do need area to absorb rain if you have trees. Also, if everyone paved their yards, we would have even more problems with run-off pollution and groundwater. You should think about your lifestyle and what you need before deciding. It might help to visit other yards for ideas.

[Coldjensens]

Front lawn:

Atlatl field.

Dig up worms for fishing.

Singing in the rain.

Laying on.

The boys crew team used to come over and work out on the front lawn when my son lived at home (and my daughters liked to sit on the porch and watch them).

Mowing.

Looking at.

Attracting deer and rabbits.

Playing fetch with the dogs.

Watching fireworks on the river.

Frisbee tossing.

Party/Barbque overflow space.

Snow fort/snowball fights or snowman building.

Snow angles.

Holiday decorations.

Picnics.

Dancing.

Photographs.

rolling (we have a bit of a hill in the front)

Croquet.

Bocci Ball.

air tunnel tent habitrail thingy for little kids.

chasing geese and swans.

Sitting on the bench and staring at the water or geese/swans, or a freighter that goes by twice a year.

Bus stop

Parking overflow (if it is not muddy)




Back lawn (not much lawn much of it is wooded.):

Dog run.

Knife/axe range.

Archery range.

Trampoline.

Bonfire pit.

Chicken coop/run

outdoor parties/barbques

camping practice or drying out tents.

play fetch with the dogs.

We water the front lawn some years if august is really dry. We do not water the back. We do have to mow once a week for six months. We use a lawn tractor and it takes about 20 minutes. Sometimes we trim around the trees and the bench.

[Coldjensens]

When I get old, I can come outside and yell "Get off my lawn"

There probably will not be anyone around, but hey, it is on my bucket list.