Where the Grass Is Always Greener

FOR MOST OF MY LIFE I have driven past assorted turf farms in the South County area of Rhode Island, where I live. They are pleasant to gaze upon in all seasons of the year but look especially vibrant in spring and fall. Though my lawn has always been pretty decent, I have to admit to some envy of the high quality and uniformity of those expansive fields of lush green grass. No patches of dead sod. No unsightly discoloration. No bare spots. Just imagine hundreds of acres of picture-perfect, estate-quality lawn.

All of us who like to grow things look for tips on how to grow them better or faster. With that in mind I lined up a few visits with local farmers for whom the grass is always greener to see what I could find out and share with Horticulture readers. As it turns out, I could not hit upon a better concentration of experts than those in my own back yard. There are about 6,000 acres of sod being grown in New England, with 3,300 of them close by me at about a dozen locations. According to a proud Pat Hogan, the knowledgeable sales manager at Sodco, “Little Rhody’s South County is the sod capitol of New England!”

By actual analysis, the soil structure in the area ranks among the best in the region and the farms that once cultivated mostly potatoes and corn have developed a nice niche market for a more lucrative agricultural product: grass. To get to Sodco’s office one wintry