RickCorey, like the idea of cover crops! We don't have a sodded yard though, the only previous tenants here for the last 30 years were cows! We do have plenty of prairie grass, yucca and cactus! Our Colorado soil is crazy hard clay, unfortunately. Thought the guys were going to break their Bobcat planting a tree up front, had 1 guy operating it and 5 on the back trying to keep it from going completely vertical while digging!
I've been mowing as close as possible and layering with cardboard before adding planter's mix to make raised beds. Figured the worms would eventually make their way though (seem to like the areas with cardboard) and it would all break up in the end.....
I did look on the member map, that's a neat feature! See one each in Parker and Castlerock that are nearest to me.