[rcecale]

Thatching rake and a LOAD of back muscle.

Loosen the top 1/2 inch or so of dirt. Mix in some starter fertilizer and then spread out the grass seed. (Go heavy on the seed if you want it thick in a hurry!) Once you have the seed spread, dust a light coat of soil on top and then use a roller to kinda tamp it down.

When all this is complete, sprinkle some wheat straw over the area. You don't have to blanket it, but it should be loosely covered. This will serve to help the soil retain water since the sun can't beat directly on it. It also keeps a lot of airborne weed seeds from taking root.

Lastly...water, water, water...if you can, two or even 3 times a day.

In a week or so, you should see the sprouts coming up from the soil. In a month, it should look pretty green. Another week or so after that and you can loosely rake the straw away. Be careful not to pull up too much new grass.

Randy