Thank goodness for the cold weather. That's right, you heard me, I'm happy for the cool weather. Why? I want a nice looking lawn this year. Grass grows better in the cold weather. So now is the time you should be taking a good look at your turf.

Like any garden, you always need to look at the foundation – the soil. The University of Minnesota recommends you always test your soil before adding any type of fertilizer. But I'll admit, I haven't tested my soil for about 10 years. I have sandy soil that rinses away the nitrogen. We bag our clippings every other mowing so don't have a thatch problem. So I wing it. (Yes, I'm a Master Gardener who wings it and admits it!)

I live by a park so I need to sprinkle lime over the dog marks (pee-patches). But other than that, I'm planning on putting down a high nitrogen granular fertilizer next week. It's important to get that fertilizer down soon because you want to feed the grass before the weeds start growing.

Our lawn isn't perfect, but it's pretty good considering I live by a park that will look yellow with dandelion heads in a couple of weeks. What's up with your lawn? Let's chat and see if we can help everyone be a little greener this year.