How to Schedule Grass Seed Planting

Time your seeding to the season and your climate. Plant grass seed in the fall if you live in an area with long fall days, mild winters and cool spring temperatures. In these conditions, the moisture will be higher in the soil from the lack of high heat and the roots can grow through the winter and by spring, the new growth will be ready for mowing. Plant in late spring after the snow melts if your winters are especially harsh, since the soil will be damp for a long time.

Check your personal schedule to make sure you have the time and energy to devote to planting a new lawn with grass seed. Consider the time involved in raking the soil beforehand, adding any amendments to the soil and then watering every day until a week or two after the seed germinates. Plan your vacation time to work around your lawn improvements, so your efforts are not in vain if an unexpected heat wave occurs.

Plan to plant your grass seed when the children in your home do not need to spend hours outside playing, such as during summer vacation. Use school time as a time to seed the lawn since the children will be away for at least seven hours a day, and then they often have afternoon sports practices to keep them off the growing grass seedlings. Mark the edges of you lawn with stakes and string to keep kids from tracking across newly seeded grass on the way to and from school.

Consider the type of grass seed you are planting. Look to see if it is a cool-weather grass, like the ryegrasses or Kentucky bluegrass, or it is a warm-weather variety like Bermudagrass, St. Augustine grass or zoysiagrass. Choose a grass seed to match your schedule for planting or change your schedule to meet the requirements for the grass seed.