The rule for aerating is to only do it when the grass is growing quickly. For warm season grasses, that is summer. For cool season grasses, that is spring and fall. Aerating punches holes in the ground and the roots, so you want the grass growing well to begin with so it recovers quickly from the damage.

"But do you have an irrigation system? Dormant seeding won't make watering unnecessary. If you seed, you will need water." Actually, one reason some people dormant seed is to avoid needing to water. This assumes that there will be winter snow and/or spring moisture. Usually, there is enough moisture from the snow and rain that additional watering isn't necessary. I've never killed the existing lawn and tried it as the article above seems to be recommending, but I've overseeded an existing lawn with some success. I've got an irrigation system, but the air is so dry here that it's difficult to keep the surface moist. Since we get almost all of our precipitation between mid October and mid May, dormant seeding is about the only chance I have to benefit from natural precipitation. I'm planning to dormant seed late winter/early spring to help fill in the spots that never seem to get enough from the sprinklers. Since I'm overseeding with native grasses, once I get them established, I won't need to worry so much about whether they get any water.

I think the Seattle area is somewhat unique. You tend to have moderate temperatures year round, as well as good rainfall most of the year. You should be able to overseed now with no worries.

Sue, I FOUND some (good ole dependable Ace Hardware store) and they are in pretty good shape considering...I was expecting a mercy revival. SOOOOO, now I have average sized, ready to plant plants. I also got a few bigger ones, with much more folliage already on them. If memory serves...we got an early frost last year (only one, but you know it only takes one) sometime in December/January. We typically dont get a real harsh or cold winter...I've posted this before, last year we had about a week or two all winter, when it got below freezing and when it did, it was a few days at a time. I intend to put all of these newer plants in containers, so I can move them into a protected area or at least put them somewhere where I can put some kind of protection around them. And this time, they will be on my spraying regime from day one...I guess I was being naive to think they could do ok without some help. I was told something interesting by a guy I met recently, a local farmer...he says that tomatoes do not really need to be in full sun. And in fact they do better if they get some shade during the day. Something else he mentioned that I've never heard of...he said if when you plant the tomatoe, if you put it completely on it's side and bury 90% of it's lower section leaving just the tops above the ground, that everywhere there are nodules (for lack of the proper term) they will root and grow a plant. so he said you can get 5 or 6 plants instead of one? has anyone ever heard of this? cool concept if it really works. I will have to ask him if he divided the plants up after they all grew. otherwise they'd be too crowded.