When Maria and I were in California a couple or years ago (when there were still book tours), we noticed that because of the water shortage, a growing number of Californians were experimenting with natural lawns.

We liked the natural grass or the planted meadow grass, it seemed more attractive to us than mowed and trimmed lawns. And neither of us have ever liked most lawns. They seem ugly an unnatural to both of us. And I think they are.

We are both also aware that lawns are bad for the environment, for the soil, for the lives of insects, small mammals, even birds. Lawns have no natural reason for being, they were invented by wealthy homeowners in England who lived in cities and wished to be reminded of the sylvan glade.

They became popular with European aristocrats, and then capitalists in America found all kinds of ways to make money touting them – mowers, the landscape industry, weed killers, dandelion wars.

Lawns are also expensive and time consuming to maintain, they have become one of the mass-marketed ideas to help a number of companies make a lot of money. So this year, we decided to conduct an experiment. We are leaving half of the front lawn alone, just trimming it along the outside to see how it looks and feels.

I understand that many people love having trim green lawns, and more power to them. We are moving away that here on the farm.

So far, Maria and I both really like the experiment.

It is more attractive than a mowed lawn to me, and certainly easier to maintain.It seems more in sync with the meadows and hay fields around us, and with our own pastures. We do trim the outside, so it is clear that this is deliberate, and because it sets the natural grass off from the mowed grass.

We will make a final decision later on in the summer, but so far, we like it. I have liked mowed or trimmed lawns, they look and are artificial. Stay tuned.