Alright folks, today I’m sharing my spring lawn prep journey here in Worcester. Been doing this for years, but every season throws something new at ya, you know?
The Wake-Up Call
Walked outside last Tuesday, coffee in hand, and man… the lawn looked rough. Patchy, kinda yellowed in spots, just sad after that long winter. Looked like the neighbor’s dog used it as his personal digging spot all season. Knew right then it was fertilizer time.
Gear Roundup
First, dragged my rusty spreader outta the garage. One wheel wobbled like crazy – gave it a good kick, seemed fine. Went down to the garden center, grabbed two big bags of that basic “Spring Starter” stuff. Guy at checkout mumbled something about nitrogen ratios… just nodded and smiled. Paid up and got outta there.
The Messy Execution
Got home, ripped open the first bag. Dust flew everywhere – coughed for five minutes straight. Remembered halfway through filling the spreader I hadn’t checked the settings. Cranked it to what I thought was medium. Pushed that squeaky spreader up and down the yard, trying to walk in straight lines. Tripped over a hidden mole hill, spilled granules all over the driveway. Sweated buckets pushing that heavy thing.
Big Mistake Time:
- Forgot to close the hopper when turning around… left a giant pile near the azaleas. Scooped most of it up with my hands.
- Ran outta fertilizer three-quarters done the yard. Had to open the second bag.
- That wobbly wheel finally gave up near the fence. Ended up kicking the spreader the last ten feet like some angry toddler.
Watering Woes
Checked the forecast after. Supposed to rain tomorrow? Never trust Worcester weather. Hooked up the hose, dragged the sprinkler around. Water pressure sucked – looked like a sad fountain. Ended up just waving the hose around like a maniac for twenty minutes trying to hit the dry spots. Got soaked. Dog thought it was hilarious.
Watching & Hoping
Waited. Checked daily. After three days… nothing. Panicked a little. Then after a week? Bam. Saw those thin green shoots pushing through the bare patches near the sidewalk. Felt like a miracle. Not golf-course perfect, mind you – that mole damage is still ugly – but hey, it’s alive.
Lesson learned? Prep is messy, gear fails, forecasts lie. But kicking that spreader across the finish line? Totally worth it when the green shows up. Worcester dirt fights back every spring. Feels good to win this round. Now… gotta go fix that wheel.
