rocknbil - 5:36 pm on Jun 3, 2005 (gmt 0)

The cost of turf is going to vary geographically.

Seeding will take about two to three weeks for the first starts to get tall enough for the first mowing. It will be a sparse crop with a lot of soil and weeds growing between, but in two months it will begin to fill in.

However: how well it does in the long run is really all based on the soil and your fertilization/watering. We've got some selfish soil here, clay, rock, low nutrients . . . this is our fourth year and FINALLY have a thick filled-in lawn. But it wasn't easy. We had to water, water, water, and fertilize . . weed and feed . . . the first two years my wife was sure we'd never have a lawn.

So it depends on what's more valuable, your time or the cost of the sod, and what you have to work with for soil.