We recently had some fairly extensive landscape work surrounding our new garage and need to plant grass in the bare areas. We are in the Champlain Valley of Northern NY at the border of Zones 4a and 4b. I am getting conflicting advice as to whether we should plant now (early October) or wait until Spring. One reason to plant now is that I may need to periodically drive over part of it in the winter and want to plant and roll (for seed contact and soil compression) ASAP. We plan to put down a straw mat and worry that it will prevent further reseeding in the Spring, if needed. Parts of the yard will be planted in thyme and/or other plants, and that will be done in the Spring.

The seed we are using is called "North Country Grass Seed", and its composition is:

32.33% Boreal Creeping Red Fescue

32.05% (hard to read) Perennial Ryegrass

30.51% Kentucky Bluegrass

(We also have a bag of Shady Mixture from Ace):

20% Barvado Tall Fescue

20% Panterra V Annual Ryegrass

20% Barrobusto Tall Fescue

20% Bearcat Tall Fescue

18% Baron Kentucky Bluegrass

I bought that last Spring because it was on sale and had a high Fescue content.