Surviving the long wait. Karaoke and knitting circle!. Pink toasters available!

We have the opposite problem... grass (weeds) spreading across and spilling over the border into the path.  In fact, the lawn is mostly weeds.  We mow it as if it's a lawn, and I pull weeds when the weather permits.  But I'm trying to be judicious about it so it still looks green throughout the transition from weed patch to lawn.if I got everything at once, we'd just have a muddy pit.

My problem is not so much weeds in the lawn (although there are some) but moss. Every couple of years I have to go through the whole scarifying/aerating/topsoil/reseeding nonsense.
 It's my least favorite garden chore. Soul destroyingly boring and yes it literally is bare soil with a few whisps of grass for a good while. You need a strong stomach and a lot of faith!   

We have the opposite problem... grass (weeds) spreading across and spilling over the border into the path.  In fact, the lawn is mostly weeds.  We mow it as if it's a lawn, and I pull weeds when the weather permits.  But I'm trying to be judicious about it so it still looks green throughout the transition from weed patch to lawn.if I got everything at once, we'd just have a muddy pit.

Exactly our lawn.  We had it sprayed for weeds, scarified, and have been reseeding.  It looks incredible now!

My problem is not so much weeds in the lawn (although there are some) but moss. Every couple of years I have to go through the whole scarifying/aerating/topsoil/reseeding nonsense.
 It's my least favorite garden chore. Soul destroyingly boring and yes it literally is bare soil with a few whisps of grass for a good while. You need a strong stomach and a lot of faith! 

Would better drainage help?  I don't know much about these things, but I thought I'd ask.  Or more sunlight, maybe?  If you don't get a lot of sunlight, you could do this:  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/06/rjukan-sun-norway-town-mirrors 

Exactly our lawn.  We had it sprayed for weeds, scarified, and have been reseeding.  It looks incredible now!

I want to take ours back to bare soil and start fresh.  But it's a big chore, and we have too many other expenses to hire it out.  So we're just doing this long, slow, chipping-away approach.  We'll get there eventually.  Or we'll finally give in and just pay someone to jumpstart it.

Would better drainage help?  I don't know much about these things, but I thought I'd ask.  Or more sunlight, maybe?  If you don't get a lot of sunlight, you could do this:  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/06/rjukan-sun-norway-town-mirrors 

Thank you!  Yes and yes! Both would help. I have all sorts of fancy footware with nails/spikes on that I dance around in. I use a fork when I'm feeling really determined which is more effective but gives me nasty blisters.

I've cut down branches on an overhanging tree as high up as I can and I buy shady seed. The moss still returns after a couple of years, I'm kind of resigned to it now! 

eta, I just read your link, had assumed it was the usual stuff. Now that is new to me! 

I want to take ours back to bare soil and start fresh.  But it's a big chore, and we have too many other expenses to hire it out.  So we're just doing this long, slow, chipping-away approach.  We'll get there eventually.  Or we'll finally give in and just pay someone to jumpstart it.

I use a Bosch scarifyer. It's amazing how much it takes out. More time is spent emptying the box than actually covering ground!  My friend calls it the scary-fier!

Prior to all this madness, I had a small, at-home business, making DIY skincare products, hair products, and the occasional herbal tea or tincture for custom orders. I'd shut it down in anticipation of our move and having to sort through all the new regulations in the UK, but now, it would seem, I've got some time on my hands!

So, this morning I came up with a new product! Sea salt hair mist Actually pretty easy to make, but now I've got the bug to create again! Any ideas, suggestions, requests? Thinking I might offer freebies to poor souls waiting more than 30BD for their decisions!

I use a Bosch scarifyer. It's amazing how much it takes out. More time is spent emptying the box than actually covering ground!  My friend calls it the scary-fier!

I like your friend's word for it!  But it looks like a bigger version of the Flymo the previous owner left behind for us... It's not scary at all!  Well, not 'til you look underneath, anyway! 

eta, I just read your link, had assumed it was the usual stuff. Now that is new to me! 

We didn't get a lot of direct sunlight at our old house, and I told my husband I wanted to install mirrors in the treetops to direct some sun toward our front porch so I could sit out there and bask in it.  He laughed at the idea.  Then, months later, I found that story and showed him.  I felt vindicated. 

Prior to all this madness, I had a small, at-home business, making DIY skincare products, hair products, and the occasional herbal tea or tincture for custom orders. I'd shut it down in anticipation of our move and having to sort through all the new regulations in the UK, but now, it would seem, I've got some time on my hands!

So, this morning I came up with a new product! Sea salt hair mist Actually pretty easy to make, but now I've got the bug to create again! Any ideas, suggestions, requests? Thinking I might offer freebies to poor souls waiting more than 30BD for their decisions!

What a lovely idea! I bet your place smells wonderful! 

I like your friend's word for it!  But it looks like a bigger version of the Flymo the previous owner left behind for us... It's not scary at all!  Well, not 'til you look underneath, anyway! 

Yeah, you're right. It's probably the least scary piece of garden equipment I have!
She wanted to borrow it but when she saw it in action she decided it was too much for her. She is really tiny though! 

Yeah, you're right. It's probably the least scary piece of garden equipment I have!
She wanted to borrow it but when she saw it in action she decided it was too much for her. She is really tiny though! 

I am really tiny, too.  My husband is the one who uses the Flymo.  I can just about manage the weed puller ( -- I thought it was a bit gimmicky when my MIL gave me one, but since using it, I've found it pretty awesome.  It helps me pull roots the size of carrots out of the ground!), and I struggle to drag the bin (standard outdoor rubbish bin) around to put the pulled weeds into.  But on a good day of weed pulling, I will fill it up twice over.  Did I mention we have a lot of weeds? 

I am really tiny, too.  My husband is the one who uses the Flymo.  I can just about manage the weed puller ( -- I thought it was a bit gimmicky when my MIL gave me one, but since using it, I've found it pretty awesome.  It helps me pull roots the size of carrots out of the ground!), and I struggle to drag the bin (standard outdoor rubbish bin) around to put the pulled weeds into.  But on a good day of weed pulling, I will fill it up twice over.  Did I mention we have a lot of weeds? 

Haha! It's interesting that you like that weed puller thingy.  Maybe I'll re-think getting one! 

What a lovely idea! I bet your place smells wonderful! 

Most of the time, yes. Occasionally there's a mishap, and I blow stuff up, but its more and more rare as my experimentation gets more refined 

Haha! It's interesting that you like that weed puller thingy.  Maybe I'll re-think getting one! 

Seriously, I would never have bought one, myself.  But my MIL somehow, mysteriously had two...? so she gave me one.  I'm not really sure how that happened, but she always has random things and foists them off on us, and this one was useful, so yay!

But, yeah... I was dubious at first, but the very first time I used it, I pulled a "carrot" (massive root) out of the ground with the weed, and I was sold.  I never would've got all of that without the device.  It's not 100%, but it's far more successful than just using my hands.  Especially since I don't have leather gardening gloves that fit properly, so I can't grip the weeds properly, and two experiences with stinging nettle have taught me not to go weeding without leather gloves. 

Most of the time, yes. Occasionally there's a mishap, and I blow stuff up, but its more and more rare as my experimentation gets more refined 

Ooh, explosions... now you're talking!  Wheeee! 

No, for reals, though.  There was a product one of my friends wanted to buy for a ridiculous sum of money at a boutique in LA.  If you don't make "lip scrub" exfoliator, you should look into it.  It's the sort of thing that you can customize from a base, and the results of using it are rather pleasant.