Thanks for all the advice guys! Unfortunately, 2008 was not my great year (it was 2003) - which is why I keep thinking it's nutrient rather than weather / site, however, Platanus is right about there not being enough warmth this year for my warm site stuff (so, naturally, this is the year I plant okra and sweet potatoes...). I might have picked the wrong year to ask this question, but the issue appears to be the same as in previous, warmer years. I have great sun, have had plenty (more than plenty this year) of rain and have a growing season that is a little longer than the place I used to try and grow okra, Massachusetts (now that was a challenge!). I notice that my soil pH is a little lower than the optimal that was reported by the link jean001a provided (thank you for that!) and so I might pursue that. Thanks for all the great advice. I'll follow it and see what I can get. :)

As rdaystrom mentions, seed needs moisture to germinate *BUT* will only when soil temps are conducive! Your shade area(s) are cooler than the sun sun spots. Keep in mind too - the sun moves throughout the day, causing warmer spots here, even if the time is shorter, than over there. PS, dots are weeds. Grass is string like.

Larry, George grows them so I'm sure if he sees this thread he'll tell you about his experiences. Peanuts do best in sandy soil but tolerate other soils as long as they are loamy and well-draining. They also like somewhat acidic soil more than alkaline soil. They need a really long growing season too. Love County used to be a really big peanut producer, but after the price support program ceased, growing them became less attractive. A few people still grow them here, but not many. There's only one 'peanut farm' that we drive past and still see peanuts there every year....and they also raise cattle, wheat, melons, etc. because you cannot depend on a peanut crop for your only income. I think George has pretty good luck with peanuts. I've never tried them because my clay would be all wrong for them and I think the yields would be poor, and my little band of sandy soil is getting really shady. And, besides that, I grow too much of everything as it is so growing space is really tight. Dawn

Hi Molly, I donÂt know much about the alternative grasses, but one thing you might consider is Achillea millefolium (a/k/a A. lanulosa). ThereÂs been some discussion around here about using this as an alternative lawnÂwith or without letting it bloom. It should do well up to 10,000' and zone 3 if not z2. ItÂll grow in virtually any soil and spreads quicklyÂbut it sounds like that would be a good thing for what you want it for. If you decide to give it a try, IÂd recommend the straight species with plain white flowers rather than the hybrids with the colored flowers. I just donÂt know if the hybrids would be quite as hardy. The plain white one is available as plants or seed. A couple more Achilleas you could try are A. sibirica (white), or A. ageratifolia (white to pale pink), or A. tomentosa (brite yellow). They should all be hardy to z3, and I think theyÂd work at 10,000' too. You could make a real pretty wildflower "lawn." A few other possibilities are Alyssum montanum, basket-of-gold; Anacyclus depressus, Mr. Atlas daisyÂI love that one; Aster alpinus, alpine asters; Antenaria, pussytoes; Cerastium tomentosum, snow-in-summer; Erigeron compositus, alpine fleabane; Fragaria vesca, alpine strawberryÂvery small but incredibly sweet berries; Leontopodium alpinum, edelweiss; Pulsatilla vulgaris, pasqueflower; lots of different sedums; and, of course, Aquilegia caerulea, Rocky Mountain columbine. The tallest couple of these would get up to about 18", and most of them would be under a foot. And most of them either spread a lot or reseed once you get a few started. I donÂt know how high the alternative grasses like buffalo grass will grow, but there are some folks around here who know quite a bit about them, so youÂll probably hear from them. Are you in/near Leadville? Skybird