DIY Life

When he first learned that leaving mowed grass right on a newly cut lawn is healthier for your grass, my husband was thrilled. We have a large yard and he was so tired of raking.

The leftover cuttings act like mulch for your lawn, helping it retain moisture and giving it valuable nutrients. It's just one of eight things you can do to have a healthy, eco-friendly lawn.

Other tips include:

• setting your mower to cut the grass no shorter than 3 inches
• using a reel lawnmower
• watering early in the day, only when needed
• putting up a bird feeder to reduce pests
• growing the right type of grass for your region
• aerating the soil regularly

At our house, we are nothing if not cheap and lazy (though I prefer the terms frugal and laid-back), which is why I also like this very detailed tutorial from richsoil.com on how to have a nice organic lawn the cheap and lazy way. Finally, if weeds are the only thing that stand between you and a chemical-free lawn, try a few of our own tricks for handling weeds without chemical herbicides.