Hydroseeding, sod and turf in Scarborough, Maine.
A new lawn in Scarborough usually follows construction: a new house in the western part of town, a septic replacement, a regraded back yard or a drainage repair. Until that bare soil is permanently stabilized, Chapter 420 treats it as disturbed area, and the ordinance asks for notice once stabilization is reached so the site can get its final inspection. Getting grass established is the closing step of the job and the one the ordinance watches most closely.
We grade, loam and prepare the ground, then establish the lawn to suit the site: hydroseed across larger open areas, sod when the lawn has to be usable right away, and turf where grass will not grow.
Seed dates versus Scarborough's building season
UMaine Extension puts the best window for seeding a Maine lawn at August 15 to September 15, when soil is still warm and nights are cool. It recommends at least four to six inches of quality loam, amended to a pH of 6.0 to 6.2 based on a soil test, and a blend of Kentucky bluegrass, fine fescue and perennial ryegrass. Sod has a much wider window, from May through September.
Houses rarely finish on that schedule. A yard completed in June can go in as sod, or be hydroseeded with mulch and watered through the heat, then overseeded in late summer if it came in thin.
Wet pockets and sandy lots
The Scarboro soil series, established in Cumberland County in 1915, describes very poorly drained sandy soils in shallow depressions where the water table sits at or near the surface for six to twelve months of the year. Not every low spot in town is mapped as that soil, but the description fits the wet hollow that drowns new seed in April.
Where the ground stays wet, the fix comes before the seed: regrading so the low spot drains, or a planted swale in place of turf. On sandy, fast-draining lots the problem reverses, and the answer is deeper loam and steady watering through the first weeks.
Where lawn is not allowed
Scarborough's 2025 wetland setback rules do not permit lawns inside a 15-foot vegetated buffer on newer site plan and subdivision lots, and the shoreland ordinance protects ground cover within 75 feet of the water. Seeding plans on those properties stop at the line.
Hydroseed · Sod · Turf Install
How we handle hydroseeding, sod & turf
Whether it is a new build, a septic repair or a tired lawn starting over, we grade, loam and prep the ground, then establish the lawn the right way for the site: hydroseeding for large areas, sod for instant results, or turf where grass will not work.
See the full hydroseeding, sod & turf service page or everything we do in Scarborough, Maine.
Hydroseeding, Sod & Turf in nearby towns
- Hydroseeding, Sod & Turf in South Portland
- Hydroseeding, Sod & Turf in Cape Elizabeth
- Hydroseeding, Sod & Turf in Portland
- Hydroseeding, Sod & Turf in Westbrook
- Hydroseeding, Sod & Turf in Saco
More services in Scarborough
- Hardscaping in Scarborough
- Retaining Walls in Scarborough
- Landscaping in Scarborough
- Landscape Design in Scarborough
- Planting & Garden Beds in Scarborough
- Lawn Aeration & Overseeding in Scarborough
- Fall Cleanup & Leaf Removal in Scarborough
- Commercial Mowing & Cleanups in Scarborough
- Excavation & Land Clearing in Scarborough
- Septic Systems in Scarborough
- Tree & Shrub Services in Scarborough
- Tree Removal in Scarborough
Sources for the local facts on this page
- Town of Scarborough — Chapter 420 Erosion & Sedimentation Control Ordinance
- UMaine Extension Bulletin #2367 — Establishing a Home Lawn in Maine
- USDA NRCS — Scarboro Series Official Soil Description
- Town of Scarborough — Section X.A Wetland Setbacks and Vegetated Buffers
- Town of Scarborough — Chapter 405C Shoreland Zoning Ordinance
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Mon–Sat 7:00am – 5:00pm · Based in Cumberland, Maine