Question
I am finishing building a home in South Eastern Ohio.  We have about 3 acres of land that has been levelled and will need to be seeded.  I have been told by local farmers that planting the grass seed along with wheat or barley will help the grass to come in and be protected in the shade of the wheat or barley.  Do you think this is a good way to plant?  If so...how much wheat do I use in relationship to the grass seed?  If not...what alternatives do we have in order for our property not to rut?

Answer
Hi Jeff, if you are planting a field of hay for a hay crop, yes, that is a good idea.
Not saure I would advise it for a residential lawn.
You don't need the new grass seedlings shaded, they NEED the sun to grow.
You DO need a thin cover of straw to cover it so the birds won't eat the seeds.
When you throw dopwn those seeds, they will send out invitations to the banquet.
A thin layer of straw, that will let some sun to the soil to germinate the seeds, and just enough to hide the seeds from the little birdies, and when they grass germinates and starts showing grwth above ground, take the straw off.
Keep the soil moist until the seedi\lings get roots set kind of deep, then water deeply so the roots will reach down for water, and develope a deep root system.
Watering deeply gets a good, deep root system, and that helps protect the grass from heat, cold and drought damage. It also prevents thatch.
Thatch developes when the roots have to come close to the surface to get water, because of shallow watering. They come too close, get exposed to air and too much heat and dryness and die. hen they hold grass clippings and other debris, and form a thick, waterproof pad that will not let water through to the roots at all, so the grass dies, or you have to dethatch the lawn. I had to dethatch when we first bought this place 42 years ago, and have always watered once a wek, and to a depth of at least 6 inches. I have not had a problem with thatch since that first time.
Following an organic rogram, you have earthworms, cockroaches and other beneficial insects tunneling through your soil, so aerating is not a job you should ever have to do. They kep iot aerated for you.
The other beneficial critters an organic enviornment attracts are toads, lizards and grass snakes. These feed on the harmfiul insects that are attracted to your lawn, and they keep the harmful insects down MUCH better than insectisides do.
I know, I battled these things for over 45 years before I switched to organics, and since I did that about 10 years ago, I have no weeds, no harmful insects, and spend about 10% of the money I used to spend on lawn products, and work about 10 to 15 percent as much time as I used to.
My asthma is about 90% better since I am not around those chemicals, and I don't have to worry about my grandchildren or my dogs being on the grass immediately after I have treated it with some of the things I use.
They can play out there while I am using them, and they can even help. Everything is non-toxic, and perfectly safe for humans and animals.
Once you go on organics though, you cannot use ANY chemnical fertilizers or anything else or you will kill all the beneficial things, and cancel out you whole organic program.
The whole purpose of organics is to nourish these baneficial microvbes, nematodes and critters and insects, and let THEM do all the work.
They will balance out the PH of your soil, eat all the harmful pests, and weeds will not thrive in rich soil, so after a couple years, no weeds at all will even come up.
I haven't seen a weed in my yard for about 8 years now. Just thick green grass and healthy shrubs and flowers, fruit trees and veggies.
Charlotte
I wish I had always known about what you can do on organics.