Q: I have lots of leaves falling on my lawn when I plant fescue seed in the fall. They either smother the new grass or the seeds don’t take root fast enough to prevent them from coming up during gentle raking. When is the best time to plant fescue if you miss the preferred fall planting time?

A: I think you can successfully plant fescue in mid- to late March. I’d aerate first so there are lots of holes in the soil. Scatter the seed uniformly then use the back of a leaf rake to compact the soil lightly to insure good seed to soil contact.