While summer brings us days at the pool, most of us will spend our fair share of time with our lawn mowers. That’s not the only tool you will need to have a lawn that the neighbors will envy. To get started, take an inventory of your garage or shed to make sure you have the tools you’ll need. If you have a smaller lawn, you can get away with manual or lighter-duty tools. Larger lawns likely will require high-powered tools to get the job done in the time frame that doesn’t take your entire day. Here are a few tools to keep on hand to get your lawn ready for a last minute BBQ or s’mores time.
Spreaders
First and foremost, you need to make sure your grass is healthy. A great tool to keep on hand to evenly distribute fertilizer and lime is a spreader. And yes, your lawn does need feeding now and throughout the year. There are two types of spreaders available:
- Rotary, which broadcasts material in a circular pattern
- Drop, which distributes material in more precise rows
Edgers
Your grass should stay in the yard, not all over your driveway. To keep your lawn looking neat, you want to create a border where your lawn meets the pavement. A hand edger is appropriate for smaller lawns, but – fair warning – they are a bit of a workout. An electric-powered edger is more efficient for larger lawns.
Mowers
If you have a smaller lawn, an old-fashioned manual or reel mower is all you need and 
gives you the benefit of being quiet and pollution free. An electric or gas-powered push mower is good for medium-sized lawns and can turn grass clippings into nutritious mulch for your lawn – a bonus for our gardeners out there. For larger lawns, a riding mower can save you a lot of sweat and time and may offer options for adding attachments, including aerators, to keep your lawn healthy and looking great.
If you feel like you need more guidance on lawn maintenance, or are looking for someone to take over these duties, we’ve got a great list of local lawn care companies in our advertiser’s directory.