I did a complete renovation back in September. Killed everything and started with a clean slate. I had two sinkholes where the builder burried stumps in the yard ( I'm the second owner) so these were filled in, the yard was leveled up, and I did add a layer of compost that was mixed into the soil with the box blade during the leveling process. So far I've done 2 applications of the alfalfa, first in late January and the second was April 7th. I use one of the bag spreaders, the kind you fill up and strap over your shoulder with a hand crank. Takes me about 45 minutes to do the whole lawn. I would like to do another application late May if there's room in the budget. For the coffee grounds I just spread them by hand. They go in the areas where the grass looks a little weak and I also put them in the mole holes around the yard. Seems the moles don't like the coffee as they never return to a hole that the grounds are in. I'm also looking into possibly using some chicken feed too. Sometimes the local feed store will run chicken feed crumbles on sale and they have 16% protein just like the alfalfa. Not sure if that would work as well but might give it a try. Dchall is the organic guru here on the forums so hopefully he can chime in to help you out. The whole idea of organics is to feed the soil in order to feed the grass.

Well, my friend and i worked on that crazy riding mower today. Found out that the controls are decidedly different from USA type controls! At the front, on the steering column brace cover, down by yer feet, are two pedals. I haven't figured out what the left one does, but, the right one will send ya into the woods, or yer work-bench, at frightening speeds! So, when it doesn't stop, ya let up on the pedal, and that infernal machine backs up at the same speed as when it smashed into the work bench! The side gear shift sez it has 4 speeds and reverse, on a metal plate at the left side of the engine where the bent shift handle resides. Problem with that---it doesn't say where Neutral is--nothing to show its location! On the left side of the steering column plate, is another foot pedal, which i haven;t figgered out yet what it does. It took 7 minutes to find neutral, so i could even get the engine started, since it doesn't have electric start. At least, i haven't found that either, if it even has it. Finally, i did start the engine, got on it, moved the shifter handle to R (Does "R" mean something else in swedish?) And it ran swiftly into the arc welder and cart in front of it! I left up on the right pedal, and it backed out of the garage swiftly, then i pushed the pedal down and--yep--you guessed it--the arc welder cart again! By that time, i was sorry i had ever seen that infernal machine! It is going back to the owner-free-no charge! I did get it tamed down once and had it mowing and going along good, then Ruth called me for lunch, so i shut it off. I guess it had a fit of pique, because, after lunch, it did everything backwards, except it didn't put the grass back on the stems! After many years of using the right pedal for the braking process, to have it work just the opposite is scary! WEEEeee--over the cliff, foot firmly planted on the brake pedal!

I find this a disturbing thread, and a crime to the insinuation that the contractor is guilty of neglect. Did the OP consult with the contractor on the best way to enter the area where the patio was to be constructed? Was the OP willing to pay the cost of the additional time required to move all of that material by hand, or did he use the contractor who gave him the lowest price? We recently had a patio installed in our backyard next to our house. The patio took several yards of sand, some gravel, and six pallets of stone for the patio deck and the wall surrounding the 16'X20" patio. The contractor had to dig, the area down at one end to level the patio. There was the area where the dirt was placed prior to be removing from the property, there was the back fill area behind the wall. There would be multiple wheelbarrow loads to the back yard, for each trip with the that was made with the truck or skid steer. There would be multiple wheelbarrow loads move the pallets of stone from the front yard to the back. There would have been multiple wheelbarrow loads of sand and gravel. Then there is the removal of the dirt from the excavation. Does the OP think all of the trips with the wheelbarrow, and the slipping and sliding of the worker as he pushes the wheelbarrow through the wet area will leave no marks. I think the OP is being quite unrealistic to think this could be done without a mark or depression in his yard. I understand the OP frustration with restoring the yard. The day after they finished my patio, we got about 2' of rain. It was several weeks before they could get back to install the sod. During that time we had over 200 sqft of soup around the patio. The soup was so thick that some of the pavers I used to replace the path, slid across the soup. (Had to have some way of getting off the patio into the back yard). I had to rework the grades in some areas to reestablish the water flow. I still am working on the grass in the area, and the patio was installed a year ago.

A couple things you can do to increase tire life: 1) always make sure you have the recommended air pressure in the tires. 2) never use tire cleaners, tire protectants, etc. Although they make your tires look shiny and new, they can harm or prevent the lubricating properties that are built into the tire's rubber compounds from the factory. 3) it helps to use the tires. Using them works the rubber compounds and allows the lubricant to distribute itself throughout the tire. 4) when not using the tires, cover them or put them in the shade to protect them from sunlight (UV light breaks down the rubber compounds and accelerates dry rot). 5) when not using the tires for an extended period, place the vehicle on jack stands to take weight off the tires.