What should I plant for ground cover around my cabin?

jackpine

5 year old buck +
Im looking for suggestions on what to plant in the 'lawn' around my newly constructed cabin in NW Wisconsin. The ground in this area is extremely sandy so it dries out quickly. I will be having some topsoil brought in and will try to seed it late this summer. The area will only consist of about a 25' band around the building . My main goal is to just have some ground cover for erosion control and so sand and dirt doesn't get tracked in while using the firepit, etc. I do not want to have to water it after it is established and would prefer minimal mowing if thats possible. I don't think regular turfgrass is the answer as it would require regular watering. Maybe let the native grasses fill in? (I think it's some type of sedge, but I'm not sure what will grow out of the topsoil that is brought in). I'm even thinking something like crabbgrass because it grows low and thick and doesn't need much water, but I believe it is an annual. Appreciate all input.

Jackpine
 
Here is a couple pics showing what it looks like with native grasses on the undisturbed ground
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I just got an email from Elk Mound Seed about a new clover called EuroMic Micro Clover. Might be worth checking out. www.elkmoundseed.com

Chuck
 
I used to think clover would make a perfect yard until I had deer and critters right by my windows all the time. Kind of a nuisance. Would clover attract bears (if you have bears)? If you don't care what it looks like then native fill-in will be your lowest maintenance. Crabgrass and Buffalo grass might be decent options. No clue if Buffalo grows that far north though.

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Pennsylvania sedge
 
NWSG will get big and require mowing. I would avoid as it will become a home to quite a few pests - snakes, mice, etc..

I would look at some of the sedge grasses. Don't require mowing.
 
I too wonder if native stuff will fill in. Then you know it will grow with whatever water you get seasonally.

Something to consider is that with taller grass and leaves, mice will have a place to travel from the woods to your cabin. If you keep things trimmed back, they are less comfortable taking the journey in the open and might help keep them out (somewhat). After that you're left with raps and bait - the latter I recommend putting further away form camp and doing it in the summer when the mice are not staying inside.

In my experience, anything you do, you'll want to have a crappy mower there to cut it when you're there (one you don't mind growing legs and wandering away when you're not there ;). And then there is raking or leaf blowing in the fall.

What if you just put down landscaping fabric and brought in stone? That's probably expensive. But if you just had a 25' stone yard, you wouldn't track in debris. Leaves would be easy to clear with a blower and critters would stay away (I would think).
 
I just got an email from Elk Mound Seed about a new clover called EuroMic Micro Clover. Might be worth checking out. www.elkmoundseed.com

Chuck
I've used several micro clovers before. They almost always revert back to non-micros and behave just like white clovers.

I'd consider planting some fine fescues, specifically hard, chewings, and slender creeping red fescues. They will serve the purpose of low, slow-growing and won't encourage wildlife to move in. Let me know if you have any questions.
 
What I would do is plant rye grass at a heavy rate, then plant oats lightly just for erosion protection. Then either hope for some rain, or water it a couple times.
 
I have about the same thing going on. I hired someone to help with water run off, and he hauled in beach sand as a filler.
 
We used this around our building with similair soils and run-off/drainage concerns.

You need to put a stone perimeter around the building for roof run-off, it will stop the soil wash out.

Has worked very well with situation ...

 
I too wonder if native stuff will fill in. Then you know it will grow with whatever water you get seasonally.

Something to consider is that with taller grass and leaves, mice will have a place to travel from the woods to your cabin. If you keep things trimmed back, they are less comfortable taking the journey in the open and might help keep them out (somewhat). After that you're left with raps and bait - the latter I recommend putting further away form camp and doing it in the summer when the mice are not staying inside.

In my experience, anything you do, you'll want to have a crappy mower there to cut it when you're there (one you don't mind growing legs and wandering away when you're not there ;). And then there is raking or leaf blowing in the fall.

What if you just put down landscaping fabric and brought in stone? That's probably expensive. But if you just had a 25' stone yard, you wouldn't track in debris. Leaves would be easy to clear with a blower and critters would stay away (I would think).
Mice are definitely a concern so I do plan to have a 'crappy mower' and keep the 'lawn' mowed. I will likely seed with the suggestions here but I'm curious to see how the native sedge does with mowing. Your rock suggestion is exactly what I'm also planning to do, about a 3 foot border around the building with rubber underneath.

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I'm curious to see how the native sedge does with mowing.
Pennsylvania sedge rarely needs to be mowed.
 
We used this around our building with similair soils and run-off/drainage concerns.

You need to put a stone perimeter around the building for roof run-off, it will stop the soil wash out.

Has worked very well with situation ...

Thanks for the seed suggestion, and yes I'm planning on the stone border around the building for those reasons

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Pennsylvania sedge rarely needs to be mowed.
If I dont mow, it would be at least 8" tall and I'd have to deal with mice and ticks

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If I dont mow, it would be at least 8" tall and I'd have to deal with mice and ticks

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PA sedge may get that tall, but it usually just bends over around 5-6". It also usually doesn't grow thick enough to provide cover for mice. Ticks would be a consideration though. You could spray monthly with permethrin and a spreader/sticker in the same or less amount of time as you could mow. Good luck with your project moving forward.
 
PA sedge may get that tall, but it usually just bends over around 5-6". It also usually doesn't grow thick enough to provide cover for mice. Ticks would be a consideration though. You could spray monthly with permethrin and a spreader/sticker in the same or less amount of time as you could mow. Good luck with your project moving forward.
I will still have sedge beyond the mowed area and over time I may experiment with what I have growing closer to the building to see what works best. Thanks for your input

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Speaking of ticks, they are terrible around my building so far. Even though it's mostly bare ground around the building they are literally crawling up the siding and on the concrete slab, I've never seen anything like it. I was there a week ago and 6 of them were on the door frame when I entered. I had sand hauled in to level the building pad, maybe they like burrowing into that? I can't figure it out but it's crazy!

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Speaking of ticks, they are terrible around my building so far. Even though it's mostly bare ground around the building they are literally crawling up the siding and on the concrete slab, I've never seen anything like it. I was there a week ago and 6 of them were on the door frame when I entered. I had sand hauled in to level the building pad, maybe they like burrowing into that? I can't figure it out but it's crazy!

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If they're crawling around on bare ground, what you plant for ground cover won't make a difference. Just saying...
 
Time to spray the area with Permethrin .
 
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