Well, since you have a small yard and limited access to feed/farm supply stores, I'd start out applying 10 lbs per thousand sq feet of plain old sugar. Dry molasses would be better if you could find it in your grocery stores, but table sugar would work.

Then follow that up with corn meal from the grocery store at a rate of 20 lbs per thousand.

You can help with the compaction issue by starting to apply some organic matter to your yard. That compost you have been putting on the roses, spread some on your yard at a rate of one cubic yard per 800 to 1000 sq ft. That about three eighths of an inch depth. Start mulch mowing if you aren't already. Mow high. Never cut more than a third of the leaf with any mowing. Water deeply and infrequently. That might mean watering in small increments until you can get it watered well. Search this site for soaker hose use if runoff is a problem.

In the fall when you should be doing most fertilizing of your cool season grass, you might want to make one special trip to the farm supply store and pick up enough "meal" to do the yard three times. You can choose between several. Cottonseed meal, one of my favorites, corn meal, soybean meal.

In an urban area, and with a small yard, you could probably get enough coffee grounds to add quite a bit of organic matter to your yard. Your roses would probably like some too.

The free coffee grounds from Starbuck's are a great idea (and something you can probably get lots of). Good idea, rcnaylor!

Milorganite would be another possible solution and it should be available at any big-box store. Some call it organic...some not, but it does help. It's not that expensive either ($8.50 or so per 40 pound bag...but sandwiches are less than $3 around here).

I just applied it at a rate of 18 pounds per thousand square feet. That's high enough that you want to move smartly with the feeder because the grass'll grow right behind you and entangle you forever. ;-) I alternate Milorganite (for the iron and a change of pace) and soybean meal through the season.

It does kind of smell a bit. Some don't mind it, some can't stand it. Water it in and it disappears in a day or so. That's a good idea as the clock doesn't start until it gets watered in, plus it takes around 7-10 days to show any impact on the lawn. On the upside, it can't burn and doesn't need to be watered in if you don't have time.

For 500 square feet...that would be 10 pounds (at a very high rate of feeding). A 40 lb bag will give you four feedings.

If you can't get that, Espoma makes an organic feed. It's more expensive, but with a tiny lawn that's not going to be very significant. I've never used it so can't make any direct comment.

Do a Yahoo Yellow Pages search with your zip for "Feed". Then click the on the distance tab. There are 3 feed stores within 5 miles of Menlo Park CA.

The above ideas sound great. (except the milorganite, Im not a fan) Also, Buyers should be aware that many pesticides are applied to cotton crops and residues tend to remain in the seeds. Pesticide-free cottonseed meal is available.

The above by (rcnaylor) Watering and High mowing habits should be placed on the top of your list. Only one thing, not all grasses should be mowed High. Im not sure about your type of grass, but find out what the recommended cutting height is. Maybe someone can help with this?

You can't beat free used coffee grounds from Starbucks.

You can also buy alfalfa pellets for rabbits and guinea pigs at a pet food store. They will cost more than if you got them at a farm supply store, but its one alternative.

Joe P has a good reminder with alfalfa meal/pellsets. Probably my second favorite. Also, if you go over to the rose forum they will tell you how to make a tea out of it that your roses will just LOVE.

I googled san francisco bay and feed and got some hits. Look for signs selling blueseal products. Here are some links that sell chicken, horse and/or rabbit feeds. Rabbit food at $12/50 lbs is a good fertilizer at 10-20 lbs/1000ft^2. Soybean meal at 7-15 lbs/ft^2 and cornmeal (chicken feed) at 10-30 lbs/1000 ft^2 is also a good dose.

http://www.halfmoonbayfeedandfuel.com/fnfindex.html

Try your zipcode with keywords like grains, feed, blue seal, rabbit, corn, etc.

Hardware stores often sell feeds (agway, Koopman's, etc.). If you still can't find anything. Find a starbucks or local coffee shop for free grounds, compost, milorganite, etc.

Mulch mow (leaves and grass), mow at 3-4" and water 1" all at once only when needed.

Fescues don't spread, so they need to be overseeded periodically. In most areas, this would be a bad time to seed, since summer is coming up, but summers in San Mateo are fairly mild in terms of temperature. The issue would be more the rainfall, since I think it's about like the rainfall here in summer (almost nonexistent). If you'll be able to water regularly (probably more often the first year until the grass gets established), you could seed now. Otherwise, I would wait until fall.

If you're not going to overseed now, I would wait until fall to core aerate, also. Since your lawn is as small as it is, you could do that yourself with a Turf Hound. You should be able to find one at a "big box" store like Home Depot or Lowes. They cost about $20. With a larger lawn, it's not easy to get enough cores, but it shouldn't be too difficult with your lawn.

What you want to do to prepare for overseeding is mow as low as you can and bag the clippings (you can compost them, but there will be too many to mulch mow this time). Water the lawn so the soil is damp to a depth of at least 4 inches (this makes the cores easier to pull). Core aerate with the turf hound. I've read on these boards that the goal is 20 cores per square foot. That seems like a lot to me, but it makes sense, because the goal is to provide better seed to soil contact. Leave the cores where they land.

Seed at the recommended rate. Buy premium seed. It costs more, but you'll get fewer weeds and better quality grass than if you buy some prepackaged mix. If you have someplace to store the seed where it won't get too hot or humid, you can buy extra and use some next year. The rule of thumb that I've seen is that the "magic number" is 100. You want to keep the seed where temperature (degrees F) plus relative humidity stays below 100. As long as you keep seeds cool and dry, they should have good germination rates for several years.

wow!
Thank you so much for all the input! While half moon bay is an hour and a half away, I have a Peet's and a Starbucks within a couple of blocks! There are a few places I can try for alfalfa or corn meal too. I will also probably try milorganite as a jump start, as I fear my soil is probably pretty depleted.

This advice is very encouraging, hopefully by late July, I will be enjoying a happier lawn ready for seeding in fall.

A couple of add on questions: how do I determine the best mow-height for dwarf fescue? and what month would be best to seed? I'd suspect September would be optimal, as october can start getting dicey and cool. I do have sprinklers on a timer so keeping seedlings moist wouldn't be an issue.

Also for watering: the soil looks too dry too soon currently. I believe this is because the soil isn't healthy and retaining water. Here would be my plan: for now do very frequent waterings to help really wet the soil, measure the rate of water deposit using some dishes, and then after starting the amendments, I'd settle into the deep and infrequent plan. At that stage, how many "inches" of water do I apply in a watering????

thanks again for all the help!
J

Also for watering: the soil looks too dry too soon currently.

Mine, too--and I have no real problems. The very top surface of the soil dries out really fast in sun and wind, but that doesn't mean there isn't water underneath. You can test that by pushing a screwdriver into the soil. If it goes in fairly easily (barring rocks), your soil is damp.

Or drive a small trowel into it and separate it into a V shape by rocking it a little bit. That'll give you a direct visual on how deep the water is.

Here would be my plan: for now do very frequent waterings to help really wet the soil,

I'm not familiar with California (except for the part about moderate temperatures and no rain), but this doesn't sound like a good idea--it encourages shallow roots and lawn diseases.

The standard is 1" of water a week, all at once (well, within a day to allow for on/off cycles to allow the water to penetrate). For sandy soil your mileage will differ because the water wicks out fast and goes very deep very quickly.

I will also probably try milorganite as a jump start, as I fear my soil is probably pretty depleted.

I swear by it, others don't (it is processed sewage, but heated enough to kill everything in it). The 18 lbs/thousand square feet I put down last weekend kicked in and it's a rainy week. The grass, since Sunday, has grown one and a half inches and gone a deeper green. Once it stops raining, I'll mow. I went high, but I'm going to renovate this fall--with a deep, heavy core aeration I want lots of organics mixing into the holes.

I alternate it with alfalfa and soy.

When I started (early last year), my soil profile was slightly silty clay, poor drainage, very poor water penetration, hard as a rock, and a light tan. It had been corn field for as long as I could remember prior to building, and even my parents don't remember when it wasn't. Call it 40 years of abuse.

Now it's still slightly silty clay (nothing's going to change that short of a renovation down to a foot or more). Drainage is fair to good, penetration is good to excellent, the soil is still hard when dry (it's supposed to be), but spongy when wet. The top half-inch is black, another inch is deep brown, and a good three inches below that have turned a midrange brown. Everything grows better and more strongly.

I'm very pleased. Some older photos are here. I have to update them--the grass has improved since these were taken and the season advanced a bit.

You may not be able to find Milorganite. I think it's more available in the east, but I've never seen it in Utah. It may not make it this far west. I've seen Ringers (another organic fertilizer) out here a few times.

Yeah, you're right. My husband went to HD and asked for Milorganite. Never heard of it out here. He brought home "Scott's Organic Choice" instead....It's apparently made from bone meal, feather meal and blood meal- food industry waste I guess. Guarantees action within 3 weeks, so at least it's not the instant junk food for the lawn. I'm thinking of using it anyhow- anybody have any experience with this one? It would be easier to use it than to return it...

I've never used it but here is a link to a recent thread about Organic Choice.

"He brought home "Scott's Organic Choice" instead"

Good for him.

"I'm thinking of using it anyhow- anybody have any experience with this one?"

My lawn has been feed organics (alfalfa pellets and corn meal) for 2 years now. About a month and half ago I put down the Scotts organic choice and it returned excellent results.

Look at the label, there is nothing hidden, no other ingredients, fillers etc. etc. I think its great that a big primarily chemical company is offering this as an alternative.

Am I going to use this exclusively? No, but I feel its great to be able to incorporate a wide variety of food in one bag.

So I say put it down.

If you're willing to pay for shipping, Earth Smart Solutions (earth-smart-solutions.com) has amazing eco-friendly and organic products for your lawn. I have used their lawn fertilizers and natural soil builders to great success. All of the products are heavily concentrated so they last longer and shipping costs are reduced.