Seed a less-expensive option

Residential lawn care has evolved into a multiseason job, but the most opportune time for toiling with turf depends primarily upon climate and the type of grass being planted.

You can choose seed or sod when reviving, repairing or re-establishing your lawn. Seeding, however, is lower priced and there isn't as much work involved.

Soil and site preparation run about the same for either method, but a 1,000-square-foot lawn (roughly 50 by 20 feet) costs less than $10 to seed with a Kentucky bluegrass vs. approximately $200 to plant with sod.

Renovate cool-season grasses in late August if you live in the North. Plant turf grasses in September through mid-October if your lawn is in the milder climates of the West and Northwest. Seed in early spring if your home is in the South or mid-Atlantic.

"If you buy premium seed blends, they have the newest grass varieties, which will require less lawn care and cause fewer pest problems," Scotts' spokeswoman Su Lok said.

For a northern lawn, a blend of Scotts "Pure Premium Sun and Shade" grass seed retails around $25 for a 10-pound bag. On average, you would need about five bags that size if you were seeding a new lawn. An existing lawn would require about half that amount.

-- Associated Press