Did you get a soil test? Especially if the budget isn't open-ended, it is the best money you can spend in turning around a property. Otherwise, you'll make assumptions that will waste more bigger $$$$.

DON'T buy one of those home-center test kits - they are a complete and absolute waste of money. If you don't know where to get a soil test done, UMASS Amherst does an excellent one ("Test C") for $13, and they gladly do out-of-staters. You can find it easily online...

Ohhh, I like your project and the idea of planning like you are!
You have the oppertunity for a weed free lawn renovation if you want.

Fallow the soil.

This is what *I* would do.

Step 1 - Get soil test done from UMAS as Andy recommends.

Round Up the whole area.

Core aerate when soil is moist (after a good rain or water it)
Do when moist, not soggy. Go east to west, north to south ... then make two more passes on angles. Go ahead and beat it up, pulling as many plugs as you can.

Leave the plugs where they fall.

Order some compost. 1 cubic yard will spread out to 1/4" to 1/3" over 1000 sq, ft. Spread the compost and then rake/grade the yard, raking the plugs and compost.

Now here's the key! Start watering this mess.
Water it to germinate any weed seeds. Treat any weeds as a lawn. Keep watering during the summer.

During this time, prepare your beds. Walk on those weeds (not grass seedlings) drag the wheel barrow over those weeds.

Follow the advice from the soil test results. Fertilizer the soil (and weeds) as recommended according to the needed deficiencies. You are building a seed bed for future turf grass.

June/early July ... order your seeds. Keep them in the ice box.

August - Spray Round Up on all those weeds. Couple days later, start watering again. Try to germinate anymore weeds. 2 weeks later, spot spray with Round Up as needed.

Labor Day, rake the soil. Sow seeds. Top dress with peat moss, roll the seed bed and water water water. Your soil is ready to support healthy grass because you fertilized the soil during summer, according to the soil test results.

By first frost you have a lawn

Thanks for the advice. Interesting that you are suggesting to grow the weeds, but as I think about it, it makes total sense to grow them out now and get rid of whats already in the soil, rather than have them there to compete with the new grass when I seed later. I like it - Crazy like a fox!

One question though, how do I prevent the weeds that grow over the summer from dropping new seeds that will come up and compete with my grass in fall?

Prevent the seeds by mowing regularly. Don't let the weeds and the weed seed heads get tall enough to flower.

Listen to those guys. They will help you interpret the micronutrients in the UMASS test. If you get your soil test done now, you can fertilize on Memorial Day.

Yup! What David says is true. Eliminate weeds, eliminate seeds, and then you will be 99% weed free.

Don't get me wrong. When I say grow weeds, I mean to grow them to kill them, LOL!! The key is to keep on watering. Water, warmth and sun light germinate weed seeds.

For an example, take a simple dandelion. When it flowers, chop its head off with the mower. If the flower is allowed to go to the puff ball stage, that's when it seeds. Mow the flower off - no seeds :-)

When you get a nice salad out there, kill 'em!
Weed b Gone Max for the broad leaf weeds
Round Up for the grassy weeds.

Then start the process again by watering to germinate any more seeds. This is called fallowing the soil.

(sure, the neighbors will think you're a crack pot - but so what!)

How big is this area? I ask because there is another concept to create a "clean slate".

Gary,

My backyard is about 5000 sq feet. I totally got you on the grow them to kill them idea. I think its brilliant. My neighbors are pretty cool, they'll probably think its funny.

What's your other idea for creating a clean slate? I am far from attached to the patchy grass that I have in the small area where grass still exists.

>"What's your other idea for creating a clean slate?"

Soil Solarization, but with 5000 ft2 that's very hard to do.

What you would do is cover the the area with cheap 2-4 mil plastic during July and August.
The soil temps rise to >125 degrees from the high sun and every seed is cooked, non-viable.

One can find 20' wide rolls of vizqueen, but that's not enough for a 5000 ft2 yard. It was just a thought.
Just fallow it, (water, herbicide and repeat)that's more practical.

Some weeds will still germinate here and there, yes ... but not like it will if you don't fallow.
The weeds that do germinate, can be killed off by using common Weed B Gone after 3 or 4 mowings. Fall is the time to kill weeds because when winter annuals are killed then, they do not over-winter and pop back up in spring.

Gary,
Do you know a place in the Chicago area (I am in the west suburbs)to get a soil test done?
My yard is a mess and I think not all is my fault. I live in a new subdivision and my house was the last lot of the block. My guess is that as they worked everybody else yards they throw all the stones to my lot. Also the soil is very hard and feels dryer than my neighbors'.
I will apreciate your input.