Did you have any weed & feed or pre-emergent herbicide products put on the lawn prior to your attempted seeding? Did you seed with KGB (Kentucky Blue Grass)? If yes to the former the grass will not grow (the herbicide is doing its job of preventing germination). if yes to the latter it may just about to sprout (KGB has a very long period between seeding and visible grass). Other than that I have no idea. Even on poor soil and not great watering practices you should be able to see a couple blades coming up. I don't really like the idea of mixing soil + seed before spreading for small areas since you will get different depths of seeding (too deep and it won't grow, too shallow and you run the risk of drying out if/when you miss a watering). Ideally you want the grass seed to be very close to the surface but still covered for water retention. I seed and then lightly topdress by hand with

Thanks for your response. I never water but in Scotland we get a lot of rain. I guess recently it has been quite hot. I think it was 21 Celsius the other day and low probably about 12 during the night. I haven't fertilised since last year. I think it was evergreen 4 in 1. Yes I have a small dog (Dachshund). I also put down lawn friendly weed killer in May. I have had this problem for a while but it has gotten worse this year. Thanks, Jason

Most all grasses grow best with a soil pH between 6.2 and 6.8. If you have your own pH meter how well that will work and whether it will really give a good reading depends on many things, but mostly those are not very reliable. Organic "fertilizers" can give the same results as the synthetic fertilizers but what you want to do is make the soil into a good and healthy soil that will grow strong and healthy plants without the need for "fertilziers". Contact your county office of the North Carolina state University USDA Cooperative Extension Service about having a good, reliable soil test done so you know what your soils pH is and what the base nutrient load is and then dig in with these simple soil tests, 1) Structure. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. A good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top. 2) Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drains too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up. 3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart. 4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer you soil will smell. 5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy. to see what else needs be done with your soil to make it into that good, healthy soil that will grow strong and healthy plants. Here is a link that might be useful: NCSU CES

I would give the spinach some time - maybe they're just putting down roots, and waiting to start on their leaves again especially given the fluctuating weather. My spinach grew soooo slowly at first over the winter and suddenly was huge. I'm not sure what's happening with your strawberries but I will tell you that upper 80's is not hot for strawberries. ;) They grow by the mile here in SoCal in full sun. What they do need though is consistent moisture - could they have dried out between waterings? My understanding is that they need to stay moist - that's the hard part here in SoCal, not the sun/heat. They love that!! We just came out of a heat wave (100*+ with less than 10% humidity) and I think my strawberry plants' only complaint was that I couldn't keep them watered enough.