Blog Update!
For those of you not following me on Facebook, as of the Summer of 2019 I've moved to Central WA, to a tiny mountain town of less than 1,000 people.

I will be covering my exploits here in the Cascades, as I try to further reduce my impact on the environment. With the same attitude, just at a higher altitude!

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Reel power

Well, I did it. I went out and bought a push reel mower. After spending far too much time researching them on the web, I decided to give it a whirl. Or a push. Or something.

Anyway, I bought a Scotts 20" Push Reel Mower and had it assembled and was done mowing the front and side lawns within an hour. Even though the front was a little overgrown, it only bogged down in one spot.

I must admit it was a very pleasant experience -- no gas fumes, electric cords to run over, or dirt and dust flying all over the place. Just the happy schush-schush sound of the blades and the smell of fresh cut grass. Is it spring yet?

9 comments:

Dad said...

Is it time for composting, yet? Steamy, hot, smelly composting :-)

Crunchy Chicken said...

Aaah. Vermiculture with bins is a huge improvement over the old compost pile in the corner like we had in the 70s. So, the stink is less, but the steamy hotness is still there.

The city of Seattle has a food waste composting program that we take huge advantage of. All our food waste/scraps goes in with the yard waste that gets picked up every 2 weeks. Between that and recycling we hardly have any garbage.

So, we probably won't mess with the composting in our yard. At least not yet!

Eva said...

We have this push mover too... isn't it great? We scored it used from Craigslist 2yrs ago. It was practically brand new, still works great. Last year my husband bought the weed hound from your previous post. He loves it. I didn't realize you could eat dandelions. Learn something new every day.

Crunchy Chicken said...

Eva -- do you guys have the grass catcher thing and, if so, does it work at all? I've read some people say it didn't stay on or got too much in the way and it was easier to just rake up the clippings.

For the most part I'm comfy just leaving the clippings on the lawn but not every time.

Anonymous said...

I thought about getting one, but we use a tractor and I just can't see myself push mowing 5 acres. I do however have a scythe that I plan on using instead of a weed eater.

Crunchy Chicken said...

Yeah, 5 acres and a push mower = bad idea. Unless you are seriously looking for an alternative fitness program.

A scythe... that sounds like fun! I don't think I've ever seen one in action, but I bet it's effective!

Cheryl said...

We got one when we bought our house and I love it! Our neighbor thinks I'm crazy because he apparently had to use one of the old models way back when, but the new ones are so easy to use that the kids can do it (and they love to). Much more pleasant than his smoke-belching model if you ask me.

Eva said...

Deanna,

No, we don't have the grass catcher attachment thingy...we just leave the clippings. We sometimes just rake. Our yard has been such a work in progress... 1.5 yrs after moving in, and we are still continuously working on it.

Anonymous said...

i'd like to (suggest) a reel mower to my landlord - he has a 20'X35' 'patch'! and uses a gas mower!!! so, did you compare scotts w/sunlawn? if so, your opinion and why you chose scotts, please.
thanks.
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