To Mow or not to Mow: History and Lawn Care 

A couple of viewers complained that I mentioned, in the very briefest way, the fact that Levittowns were controversial because they only allowed white families. I thought it irresponsible to mention lawns without mentioning the impact of William Levitt. But the fact that FHA loans for houses in Levittowns stipulated that only "Caucasian families" were allowed represents a legitimate controversy, and I felt it irresponsible to leave out entirely that significant controversy as if the only thing important about their impact was grass. As always, I meant no political statement, was not referring to any issue of modern politics, and support no candidate or legislation in my brief noting of the Levittown controversy. My answer to those who complained: I do not care, even a little, if you choose to find offense in historical facts.

Sadly my lawnmower turned 19 last year and went to college.

Heck, I like the idea of growing veggies and fruits way more than a bunch of grass!

I have always enjoyed mowing my lawn. I even worked as a landscape artist for a while in the 1990’s, doing commercial lawn mowing in Fort Wayne, IN. My current yard is around three acres. I find it relaxing and enjoyable to mow it.

As much as I loath mowing and edging, it does look very nice after I'm done.

Lawns are awesome 😎

I bought a new, push mower, a few years back, I don't mind mowing, this way. I watched my dad do it. I get a little exercise 🖐

Can't remember where the quote comes from, but one novel I read had one of the characters saying, "It was the kind of lawn you only get with two hundred years and a flock of sheep."

As with so many of the ultimately meaningless things into which we thrust our time and energy, we present our lawns to the world as a symbol of our class status (or class aspirations). I hope that no one dies and leaves only a well manicured lawn as their legacy to human civilization.

I enjoy mowing my lawn....until July.

I wouldn't trade my lawn for anything other than woods. I swear, this pushback over lawn chores and homeownership in general, is only to coax people into submitting to unit living in the future. I'd rather mow the lawn...

I just stopped by to find an excuse to get out of cutting the grass today.

And some low maintenance grasses requiring little mowing and weeding (although) will creep into your garden

I would like to would love to wake up Sunday mornings, put on my coveralls and engineer,s cap and fire up my steam powered lawn mower.

My wife and the HOA reject my idea of a natural wild flower yard. Sucks being lazy.

"why would anyone do drugs, when they could just mow a lawn?" - Hank Hill

Been looking down at the grass for almost 80 years, sooner or later I'll be looking up at the grass.

Lawn and Order: Special Vegetations Unit.

As a child I believed I was only born to cut grass.

This video is relevant to me because I mow only where I walk and work. my yard is growing a beard, and I am 100% supportive of it's endeavor.

As the eldest son it was my job from an early age to mow our lawn. In hindsight I feel my younger brother was denied the joy of completing an onerous task and admiring the finished result on a weekly basis. I'm into my 50's now and still enjoy mowing my lawn, and begrudgingly have let my son "have a go" a few times, only to have to redo it "properly" myself afterwards - mostly because I wanted to vs needing to. :)

Remote controlled lawn mower? I assumed that was called a son.

When I bought my first lawn tractor, we watched the safety video with my then 4 and 5 year old kids. It mentioned about not riding in lap and not viewing it as a ride. After watching the video they asked if they could ride it.

The medieval generation were smart to grow gardens instead

My neighbor: "Damn you kids! Stay off my enemy thwarting cleared forest!"

The diversity of your content is amazing. History has no distinct avenue, and paths are as diverse as individuals are unique.

You little bastards, stay off of my lawn!

🎶I fought the lawn and the lawn won🎶 I bought a T-shirt for my Dad that said that. He kept mowing until he realized a blind man shouldn’t be on a riding mower😃

I look forward to mowing, but then, I have a riding mower. A dream realized since I was a child. ( I agree with mwc0530, it's an adult go-kart)

My grandparents had a reel lawn mower. While it did require sharpening, it never broke down. My grandfather was very picky about his lawn, and insisted on giving each of us 1/2 hour of instruction when we reached an age he deemed appropriate to cut his lawn. That mower was a joy to use, and my grandparents' yard always looked immaculate.

I had one of the ones shown at 4:13 around 20 years ago. That motor still ran sweet and true while the mowing parts of the body were not in the best of shape. Wish I still had that old cast iron Briggs and Stratton. It was great. I could start it up and just let it run by itself for a while on the floor of the shop lol. I loved just listening to it and watching it run. I no longer live in a city and I never cared about 'farming grass.' It grows or it doesnt, I cut it but I don't fertilize or water it. It's grass. Not a food crop.

As odd as it may sound, growing up in an urban area one of the goals later in life is to have an actual lawn to mow.

Wow, 1299. 700 years of rolling and seeding. It must be a perfect carpet.

I love to mow the grass! Fresh air, the smell of fresh cut grass and the sun. Can't go wrong!

I was floored when, years ago, I learned that turfgrass was not a natural feature of landscapes, and that it only has existed for at most 200 years in the land of my birth. A mowed lawn was not an example of nature reaching perfection!!!! (now my neighbors have raised complaints to the city about my lawn: I do water my fruit bushes, but unless I am forced, I will not water that grass. )

That’s funny, I look forward to mowing the lawn. It’s my adult excuse to ride a go-kart.

Do vegetarians get hungry when you mow the lawns, like a normal person would when you cook a steak?

I love mowing...I could do it all day. As a retired greenkeeper/groundsman I've spent many days doing just that! =)

Nice history lesson.. this season marks my 47th year of my humble lawn mowing service on the Oregon coast. I guess I've done thousands of jobs during that span and have an outlook on the subject most don't. I have met all sorts of folk and sometimes the owners of a property have spanned three generations, still to this day avoiding the chore that they give to me! No problem, with the correct tools it is a pleasure.

I mow about three acres. A John Deere, a "walk-behind", and a string trimmer. Takes hours. But.... I enjoy it.

Thank you THG for this cutting edge information.

The lawn is an absurdity in water stressed Australia, yet we all have one and now I know why. Another great video, thanks!

I think we should let our lawns grow up, and just cut it maybe twice a year.

As an arborist I sometimes must deal with the misinformed gardener, homeowner and so called landscapers, and their misguided work. Having a lawn of my own, plus the foregoing, it had actually come to mind to wonder where all this yard lawn business had begun. Now I know. Thank you.

I love mowing my lawn. I't therapeutic for me. It's my alone time, my "me" time .

I grew up in a good sized city in the 50's and 60's. What I remember is most 'Mom's' didn't work ( but stayed home to be homemakers. Most people didn't have even a 'reel' mower that one pushed and which did a good job! What most people did was use a scythe to cut pathways to the front and back doors of the house and occasionally other area's. Then, in the 60's.. the 'gas powered NOISY/FUMY lawn mowers started to catch on ( to those who could afford them- they were like 'color t.v.s- few could! )What I've seen is the total 'fanaticism' through the decades of some with their lawns.. Sure, spray 'CHEM'lawn on it and other things.. then let your kids and grandkids PLAY on the lawn ( as well as pets ).. I've seen countless birds who suffer toxic nerve disease from eating insects caught & eaten on such 'treated' lawns.. But honestly???? I'll NEVER get people who mow their lawn on Monday... then again on Tuesday...then again on Wednesday... maybe ( MAYBE ) not mow it on Thursday, then mow on FRIDAY... three to six times a freeking WEEK!! Then?? Strap on the back-pack BLOWER to blow EVERY blade of grass.. OFF the lawn, and into the street that cause major sewer issues... ONE neighbor will actually get on his hands and knee's with SCISSORS to hand cut some errant blades of grass that the mower missed...So I remember when families DID things together ( like rake leaves in the Fall ) where they'd have fun, TALK between themselves and neighbors etc... The Fall was a generally HAPPY time and people got more ( and BETTER ) exercise! Last year ( here ) there was a severe drought. I'd see the 'LAWN fanatics' sneaking out in the middle of the night to WATER their damned lawns despite consequences ( if caught ) and these same people had DEAD.. YELLOW lawns ( but no matter.. ) STILL freeking mowed it 3 to 6 times a week!! To me?? THAT'S plain F**ked up- period! By the way.. I maybe mowed my lawn 5 times during the entire drought... early or late day (NOT at the height of the sun!) and only if it actually NEEDED it.. Result? The ONLY 'sane' person with a live, mostly green lawn ( without illegally watering )

My lawn is definitely a reflection of my personality - I haven't mowed it for two years

I hate lawns. I'd much rather have gardens!

Not surprised about the child amputation part. My step-dad had the handle taped on our lawnmower so it wouldn't shut off when you needed to pick up a stick and throw it in the bushes. Had to shut it off by using a stick to pull the spark plug wire. This was the same guy who cut off 3 finger tips pulling grass out of a running lawnmower. Needless to say I don't have mine taped.

Give weeds an inch and they'll take a yard.

I made good money as a kid pushing my mower around town in the summer. I haven't seen that in thirty years. I guess kids don't do that anymore.

4.05 a lawnmower pulled by a lawnmower.

As much as I hate mowing the yard, it's a great feeling when it's finished and everything looks nice and tidy.

fascinating to a landscaper. those old reapers. a straight handle and thin blade was sharpened by hammering with a rock in the feild. i have several that are well over a hundred years old. i still use these.🍻

I'm watching a video - on the history of lawn care. That's how good this channel is that after an all-nighter, I'm watching a video - on the history - of lawn care. Let me say that again. I'm watching (and enjoying) a video. On the history. Of lawn care. And I live in the desert where xeriscaping and rock gardens are more common.

"Its March and spring is in the air" *looks outside at 5 feet of snow*

The more fruit trees you plant w/ flower beds underneath, the less you have to mow

as long the citys arent build for people but cars , i think you can give a shit about loans if people can afford a garden they should plant vegetables for themself like normal people did a century ago..

Very interesting. I've lived in "rural" Japan for 14 years. Most homes here are not complete without at least a kitchen garden for herbs. My yard is mostly covered with our vegetable garden and fruit trees - persimmon, mikan, kumquat, pomegranate, and ume (Japan plum). And most people grow more than they need of some veggies, so we share what we don't need ourselves - in my case broccoli heads and mikan fruit. I do have a small area of lawn (which we maintain with hand shears) for our dog's use. ;)

Now that video was a cut above the rest 🤗

There are headhunters from Borneo more tamed than my lawn.

I believe Hank Hill summed up my position when he said, "Why would anyone do drugs when you can mow a lawn?"

You mowed me over with this one. I suffered from a lawnmower accident at 16, and have despised the chore ever since. When I retired I decided not to have a lawn, and instead made a large rock garden with flowers, shrubs, waterfalls, and ponds. Beyond that are pastures and trees. My biggest problem now is keeping the grass at bay, which is accomplished by a combination of weed blocker, mulch, hand weeding, grass trimmers, and horses. It's more irritating and slower than mowing, but I only have to do the manual labor a couple times, once in the spring and again in the summer. if only somebody would invent a weeding robot.

"Lawns are a soul-crushing time suck" is absolutely right.

Happiness is a mower that starts on the first pull. Hint, use only 100% gasoline, ethanol is hard on small engines.

My friends on the West coast, during the drought actually had their dried-up lawn painted green by a company specializing in that service.

Nothing like the smell of fresh cut grass on a Saturday morning 🤩

I am building a house and designing it not to have a lawn. It will be all natural bushes trees. I would advise not doing the fake lawns as you need to vacuum them just like mowing....

did you know that you can fertilize your grass with old motor oil?

Thank you for your most interesting topics on history. It's refreshing to be able to keep learning from the BEST of the origins of certain aspects of American history. I enjoy your research method and how you base your stories in factual reporting of the time you are talking about. Thank you very much History Guy.

Just got back from Belarus. Mowing grass is not a thing there

I've been studying department stores lately: along with Levittowns, the wide spread growth of Sears, Roebuck & Co along with Montgomery Ward, both with extensive lawn and hardware departments helped fuel the lawn culture today. One used to buy everything from Sears, especially for the home. Push mowers and tractors would be a mighty temptation. Sears was where our lawn equipment came from.

You may count me in the anti-lawn faction. Still, this was yet another fascinating video on a subject I would likely never have given more than a passing thought.

just imagine, if everyone dedicated at least 1/4 of their lawn towards agriculture &/or smallscale farming. it would be such a National advantage

I'll say it.. if you have no interest in keeping up your property you likely place no value on hard work. The 2015 study says a lot about people now.

I grew up with this lawnmower as a kid in the 70s and early 80s 8:25. I worked for a landscaper who called grass a cultivated weed. He didn't deal with grass at all, he was a plant and shrub guy. He called landscapers who mowed grass lawn jockeys. He was a character.

Preaching to the choir here in the UK H.G. You might note that the "strimmer"(US: weed whacker) has had a huge impact on biodiversity here by removing wayside scrub and other uncultivated areas that would have gone otherwise unmolested. As ever, H.G. magic.Thank you.

Ive always kinda wondered about this. This is the niche history i love. You're a gem

Americans hate mowing the lawn #firstworldproblems

Hmmm..... so lawns and the quantity of them are indicative of a civilized society? Wow, We need to plant way more lawns! QUICK !! 😉👍🏻

If you have ever used a manual hand mower then you would appreciate the term "soul crushing time suck". I had to use one as a kid on our 1/4 acre lot until we eventually got a petrol one. Never again.

New bow-tie and handkerchief, THG? Looks very springy! You are right - Spring can't come soon enough!

This is why I love this channel. I also hate mowing the lawn

I only mow my 3/4 acre yard because it looks ridiculous when it gets over 2' tall and there's more bugs 🤣. BUT... it is fun/relaxing spending a day cleaning up the yard. However, I've never fertilized/seeded/aerated etc. Just maintenance, I don't care what grows as long as it's green or has flowers 🤣.

I knew I'd matured when my Facebook avatar is a John Deere 700 series "lawn tractor"😆🌷8.5mph, I want.

I hate mowing, but my SO will not let me concrete the yard.

I very much dislike mowing the lawn.

A soul-crushing time suck indeed. I keep going back because I love the end result. Always a great time with the History Guy😁

I love the lawn. our winters are violent. -20s F every year. the roads crack, the driveway heaves. The lawn is the most beautiful thing....alive.

As I got older I take more pride in how my yard looks

I am astonished to think that my parents made me mow the lawn and trusted me with a gasoline-powered foot-chopping machine unsupervised. I hated cutting grass but I liked operating the Briggs and Stratton motor, maintaining it, oiling it, and so on. I hit a golf ball with it once, as well as a few crab apples and even a rock or two. Damned dangerous thing but I survived and now I know how to handle power tools and work on engines.

I love doing my lawn. It's a hobby.

I dont mind mowing the lawn just walking and listening to music i definitely hate shoveling snow and raking leaves

I'm trying to find photos or any description of what a yard without a lawn looks like. What does that even mean??? "Before lawns", did people just let whatever weeds took root grow unimpeded?

I prefer to use a reel mower. No noisy gas engine for me, thanks. I actually enjoy mowing the lawn. With the reel mower, it’s quite and I can listen to the birds and the breeze or I can listen to an audiobook. The reason so many people hate lawn care is because of the socialist institutions known as Homeowners Associations which dictate and demand homeowners maintain a lawn. I don’t have an HOA so I can do what I want with my property. The result is that no one MAKES me do my lawn. If there was a grassroots (no pun intended) movement to do away with HOAs then people could enjoy the property they pay for and care for it better.

thanks for mentioning Australia aha, always love a shout out!

Yeah buddy! Got a New Jersey reference and he didn’t even crack a joke! You’re the best, THG!!! I too love mowing my lawn but I have a riding mower. If I had a push mower it would indeed be a soul crushing time suck. It’s no mean feat mowing an acre+

I enjoy cutting my grass. It helps to have a 61" riding zero turn while doing it but my 2 acres gets done rather quickly. I use that time to just enjoy the ride. Great video.

. Why was it necessary to mention the "Caucasian" population of the Levittowns ? Do you think there's something wrong with it ? .

I hate lawns. I love shade. Plant trees. Mowing is miserable. Paying someone to mow is for suckers. Buy goats.