My 2 favorite time- and money-saving grass-seed hacks

Plus: Wind- and salt-tolerant plants, trees and shrubs for hurricane zones, and tips for planting trees

Hi, guys!

In many areas, including my Long Island, New York, home, it’s too late to spread grass seed now, but there’s still time in regions south.

If you have at least 45 days before your first killing frost is expected (typically when temperatures drop into the 20s), you can probably still sow seeds, and these two tips will help speed things up. In fact, everyone, everywhere, should adopt the practices, even in spring.

• Check seed bag labels for seed purity and germination rates. Don’t buy anything listed as less than 85%.

• Freeze seeds in your freezer for 48 hours before spreading them. Freezing will crack their seed coats, which will improve germination by 50%!