Seems like you're getting mixed messages. You should never rototill in preparation for a lawn. Using the landscape tractor and box blade for grading, like your contractor likely did, is the way to prep for all landscaping. Rototillers buck, jump, and dig in leaving an uneven subsurface. The fluffy soil left above that surface is invariably leveled to perfection. If you picture that in your mind the rolling subsurface has a fluffy layer of different depths. When the fluffy soil finally settles completely (3 years), it will settle to the profile shape of the underlying subsurface. That leaves your surface bumpy and leads to unpleasant mowing experience and sometimes scalped grass. The tractor with the box blade works only at the very surface. Even it they lower the digger bar the tractor will not buck, jump, or dig in. It leaves a much nicer bed for planting. You do not need more topsoil. When it was graded it was graded with a purpose in mind. That purpose is to drain water away from all the buildings and out into a gutter somewhere. As soon as you bring in topsoil, you change that drainage. Some people believe that just bringing in 1/4 inch of topsoil every year is necessary to reinvigorate their soil. I have pictures of lawns with a full 10 inches of topsoil accumulated over the decades of bringing in just 1/4 inch. The soil you have was left pretty perfect by the landscape grader. That's his job. I'm not sure you can wait until August to do this job but it would give you a better result. Seeding now is likely to give you a lot of crabgrass and little real grass by July. Late spring is second only to summer for bad times to seed cool season grass. Late August is better because it gives the new grass about 9 months to get ready for summer heat. Fall seeded grass also does not have to compete with crabgrass seed for moisture and nutrients. All you need to do is seed and roll the seed down to ensure it makes good contact with the soil. If it is in your blood to apply something on top of the seed, then use a compost. Apply compost at a rate of no more than 1 cubic yard per 1,000 square feet.

Since I missed out on the peeking of this quote, I just now peeked at the one for tomorrow! GUFFAW! Krista---this one is my daily mantra. It has worked in heightening my awareness of unhealthy traits, except in the case of one other human being, and he irks me so much, it's led me to believe we knew each other in another life and we have been sent here to work it out this time----which it will not be. I'm really thinking there are some people who are really unreachable in trying to attain an understanding of one another. So, I guess I'll just have to sock him some day!

It isn't so bad in Stanley this morning altho', I guess 35o was the low and the WS says it will be cooler the next 2 days. The thermometer didn't make it above 55o here yesterday and there is rain with 25mph gusts this morning. I just went outside to see if there was snow falling with the rain but, no, it is just larger drops blowing off the trees . . . Tomorrow is summer in Caribou County just like up here for us, mla2ofus. I am always hoping for more warmth in May and June but it didn't happen again this year. I bet your elevation is pretty high but my early planting of peas were looking okay when I put another set of strings on them this week. The greens should soldier thru. The eggplant and peppers must think that this is pure torture. . . . One hoop house is still up but the construction-grade film won't be able to take it much longer. About 3 months is all I can expect from it and, that's okay. Here is an idea, think about 2 hoop houses instead of one for that much ground. Or, build it out of something a little stouter than mine. Maybe not the film but the frame. I have 1/2" pvc pipe for one and 3/4" pipe for the other. One has no frame on the ground but both have framed windows and doors. They are both really protected from the wind by fences and surrounding buildings. The only real problems I've had is with the weight of late snow storms. The cool-season plants have been fine in the open garden for the last few weeks. It is always great to get some of those things started early in the hoop house. It is the warm-season plants that suffer year after year from the late-spring wind and cold. But, that's all going to change after tomorrow! Right?! Steve

1) go over there with cookies, introduce yourself, and point out that his stereo has cracked one of the glass panels in your second-story window. believe it or not- most 'headbangers' are merely slovenly and paranoid- they are unused to being treated as civilized creatures by 'normals' if he is the least bit reluctant to discuss neighborly behavior-don't jsut call the cops, call his landlord. if he's not YOUR landlord as well- find someone else in that building who will provide you with the contact info. I actually borrowed a decibel meter from a musician friend of mine once, to demonstrate just how loud the music was in my apartment (across the hall and down one from a classical pianist exploring the 'synthesizer revolution') but not everyone had a music geek at their beck and call... but trust me- if you're rude to him, he will be three times as ride back- and if you're not going to stand up and complain to his face ( or get big, strong older dame to) then he will disregard you no matter what.