Questions from a yard rookie

16 years ago

Hi,

I have some really basic questions I'm hoping you will help me with. I am in the process of buying a house (we close next week). We will only be at this house on weekends -- we primarily live in an apartment in NYC. Though I do some gardening on my balcony, I have never really had a yard to care for and I don't know even the basics like how often the yard will need to be watered, how long to water it for, when (if) it doesn't need watering in the winter, and what the simplest solution is to ensure that the yard gets enough water if we are not going to be going up to the house frequently enough. It's not a big yard -- it is really two separate yards that are each about 20' X 30'. There is also a garden planted in one of the yards, with strawberries, zuchinni, etc., and there are a few climbing rose bushes and a clematis. The house is in Westchester, NY.

Any guidelines or tips would be hugely appreciated!

Best,

Melissa

Comment (1)

Vicki
16 years ago
Grass needs about an inch a week. Water in early evening hours or around dawn. It is best to water every 3 days or so during periods of no rainfall for a green lawn. Water deeply when you water so it will get to the roots and keep them moist on the days you are not there. Shallow watering is quickly evaporated. Keep sprinklers on for at least an hour or two. It would be ideal to be able to water mid week once but you can manage to keep it alive by watering weekends, it will not be as green as more frequent watering however. Winter watering should not be necessary in your zone. Just make sure the ground has plenty of moisture in it before it freezes.

Clematis like a lot of water, otherwise they will sit there and go into dormancy. Ideally you might invest in underground sprinklers timed to go on when you are not there, especially for strawberries and zuccini.
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