Every yard’s got that one spot. Ours came from a pile of leaves that sat out front all winter and took the grass with it. By the time we raked them off, we weren’t looking at grass anymore, just bare dirt and mud.
Fall’s the right window for grass seed, and we weren’t about to wait that long staring at a mud patch every time we walked out the door. So we tried something we sell but hadn’t used ourselves in this kind of spot: Nitro White Dutch Clover Seed.
Check Out These Before & After Photos
Getting the Ground Ready
Nothing fancy here. We ran a small battery-powered mini tiller over the packed dirt to loosen it up, since Missouri ground is always hard. There was a low spot in the middle, and we had some compost left over from the season before, so that went in there and got leveled out (sort of) with the rest.
Putting the Seed Down
Clover doesn’t need to be babied. We hand-scattered it generously over the whole area, no measuring, no rows. Watered it every few days and got lucky with some rain that picked up the slack in between. Within a week it was already coming up.
The Rabbits Found It Fast
The rabbits found it fast (although I could never get a picture of them). Whether that’s a compliment to the clover or just good luck for us, they came around regularly to graze on the new growth, and it didn’t seem to bother the stand much either way.
What We Didn’t Expect
It doesn’t take kindly to being walked on. We tried to keep off it while it got established. Mostly worked, except when it didn’t, and a few passes across it left it looking flattened for a bit. It came back fine, but it’s not something we would want in a spot that gets walked across every day.
What We’d Tell Someone Doing This Themselves
A few patches came in thinner than the rest, mostly where we went light on the seed. Those filled in on their own eventually, no reseeding needed. There’s still a strip further out in the yard that needs a hand digger and a bit more seed, but that’s a small job compared to what we started with.
For a bare, muddy patch that couldn’t wait for fall, this got the job done with about as little effort as a lawn fix can take. It’s not a fit for a path or a play area, but for a spot that just needs to stop being an eyesore and keep the mud out of the house, it held up its end.
In About 6 Weeks We Had A Beautiful Patch of Clover!
What We Did – Quick Step Review
- Picked up Nitro Clover Seed from the Lawn & Garden department
- Cleared the leaves off the spot
- Ran thebattery-powered mini tiller over the ground
- Leveled out the low spots
- Hand-scattered seed generously
- Watered every few days and got some rain along the way that helped
- Watched it come up over the next couple weeks
