Now what?? I was thinking of getting a few cubic yards of compost, tilling it in, spreading the seed, topping with a little humus? Do I need to put starter fertilizer in at the same time as the compost? Is the water filled roller thing necessary? I would take this opportunity to keep filling in the low spots or lowering the high spots so that it will drain properly once the grass comes in. Let things settle. Tilling will turn out to be a big mistake. A better use of compost is to spread it after the grass is down. Use no more than 1 cubic yard for your area and be sure you sweep the compost in with a broom or leaf blower. The water filled roller is the only thing that is necessary. Why? Because it pushes the seed into the soil surface. When the seed is surrounded by soil, it stays moist better and germinates better. With your small area you could probably walk on it just as easily to make good seed-to-soil contact. That is what livestock do when they walk through a grass pasture. Sod is your only choice for now until the summer heat breaks. With your location and full sun/heat/cold, you might consider seeding with native grasses. bpgreen is the expert on that topic. His choices do not look like your surrounding foothills, they look like a lawn. Is your dog a big one or otherwise frisky?

If you are planning on putting them in a shady location you shouldn't have any problems with harding them off on your shady carport. If however you are planning on putting them in a sunny location you will probably need to give them some partial shading for a few days once they are transplanted, especially if it's sunny and hot.

Anybody who wanted to join this swap should nip on over and join -- the swap closes Dec. 31. I passed. Am I missing out on some great opportunities? I just order off on occasion for hybrids and things I think I really want from a seed vendor. Nell Cottage Garden Forum

that is a flower bud ... most sterile things still flower.. they just dont have working girlie and boy parts ... that function to make seed ... sterile means it produces no VIABLE seed .... ken ps: boyie????