permaculture

[MGS <mgs2369@attbi.com>]

Michele asked about push mowers.

We use a Scotts reel mower, the one with the wider cutting bar (of 
the two models available here). We bought the bagging attachment but 
never use it. Cut it high, let it lie. Especially since the previous 
owners of this house bagged all clippings and threw them in the 
woods, then poured water and seeds and fertilizer on the ground, 
wondering why the grass was so wispy and discouraged.

We don't mow all the grassy areas at our place--just the front lawn 
(so the more suburban neighbors don't freak) and paths thru the back 
field.

It was inexpensive, and it works great. It's quiet and clean, and 
Darth and I can walk along and talk, one of us pushing, one of us 
watching for little snakes or native molluscs. It's light but great 
aerobic exercise pushing the thing, with more or less resistance 
depending on the grass height and how fast we go, and even strolling, 
we move faster than our neighbors on their riding mowers. Reel mowers 
also have a huge, controllable variability in power--push harder or 
easier for more or less oomph--which you can't say for internal 
combustion ones.

We bought the Scotts at our neighborhood hardware store. Probably 
could have saved $15 to $20 buying at Home Despot or Lowe's or some 
other huge place, but when we need something after hours, the owner 
of the corporate outposts won't help us out.

This being the Puget Trough subregion of Cascadia, there is a major 
early spring flush of grass growth that gets past what the Scotts can 
handle, particularly if lingering rains keep us from mowing on key 
days. For that reason we have in reserve a Black and Decker 18" 
electric mulching mower. It is quiet, solid, well engineered. I don't 
mind dealing with the cord--the unit has a pushme-pullyou feature 
where you can release the handle and flip it over on alternating 
passes, so the cord is always on the same side of the cutting 
assembly. Besides, awareness of the cord is more Buddhist.  :^)  We 
haven't been able to discern any change in our electric bill, which 
is already low.

Here, the turfgrass goes dormant in June, so the mowing season isn't 
all that long, and the reel mower meets our needs 90 percent of the 
time. In two years we haven't had to sharpen the blade; apparently 
the Scotts is designed to be self-sharpening overall. If we need it 
sharpened, we can easily throw the cutting unit into the trunk of our 
small Toyota and take it to the hardware store mentioned earlier. 
Good excuse to talk with the owner. Several of the main beams of his 
store, which has been in Oly forever, were scavenged from the Tacoma 
Narrows Bridge collapse before it was decided to make the crap that 
fell in the water a National Historic Landmark.

I would have preferred to share the purchase of the B&D with 
neighbors, but they all have gas riding machines and have learned to 
correlate noise and stink and costs with efficiency. Also there's 
that guy thing, where making stinky noise and riding in circles fills 
up a weekend day--the hypnosis of noise and motion--kind of like 
NASCAR. Two neighbors have already asked about the B&D, so we may win 
converts/tool-poolers yet.


peace
mish