When Is It Too Early To Mow The Lawn? Block Talk Wades Into The Weeds

ACROSS AMERICA — In “suburbia-topia,” lawnmowers would either hum along on magically silent engines or in unison at some peacefully decided time of day. But that's not how it works in real life.

What many Patch readers told us on Facebook for this installment of Block Talk was this: Going full-tilt with the mower at any hour before 8 in the morning is inconsiderate, uncivilized and unneighborly, plain down rude, and possibly vengeful.

Or so we’re led to believe from a Temecula, California, Patch reader who may or may not have been joking when he threw a little gasoline on an already stoked neighborhood fire with this: “If you hate your neighbor, the earlier, the better.”

Oi.

A Toms River, New Jersey, Patch reader thinks it’s OK to start mowing at 6 in the morning. “When someone comes out to complain,” the person went on, “blow the grass at them.”

We think they were joking. Their sentiments weren’t complete outliers, though. Other readers said getting after the lawn early in the morning is OK, especially when it’s miserably hot outside.

‘Noise-Making Start’ Time

A Joliet, Illinois, Patch reader declared that 8 a.m. is “the noise-making start,” unless 100-degree weather is n the forecast, and then 7 a.m. is acceptable.

“We live in the country and honestly could mow any time, though, but still don't do all the noisy stuff too early or late,” she wrote.

Joliet may be a city divided on this issue.

Defiance fairly dripped from the words of another reader, who said he starts his lawn mower at 4:15 a.m. “It’s a free country!” he wrote. “My lawn, my choice.”

That sparked a minor skirmish with another Joliet reader, who insisted lawnmowers should remain silent until at least 8 o’clock in the morning. “It's not about ‘freedom,’ ” he countered, “it’s about not being an a-hole neighbor.”

A few states away in Pennsylvania, a Doylestown Patch reader sided with the early risers in Joliet. “If the sun’s up,” he wrote, “you’re good to go.”

Agreed, a Sachem, New York, Patch reader wrote, “Before sunrise is good, so it’s done before the heat.”

In Massachusetts, a Woburn Patch reader joined the fellow in Joliet in declaring individual sovereignty over decisions involving the yard. “It’s your yard,” he wrote, “so whenever you want.”

But what about the other noise-making that doesn't make the grass any shorter?

“Screw it,” a Murrieta, California, Patch reader wrote. “As soon as the first motorcycle takes a joyride in the morning, lol. Love being woken up between 6-7 a.m. on weekends. You mow that lawn, neighbor!”

No Mow Weekends

Here’s a thought from a Warminster, Pennsylvania, Patch reader: Weekends should be sacrosanct and mowing should be restricted to 7 a.m.-9 p.m., Monday through Friday.

“Nothing worse than sitting down on your deck on a Saturday afternoon and somebody fires up the mower, blower and trimmer," the reader wrote.

• Related: No Mow May Pro-Pollinator Initiative Creates A Buzz Across U.S.

“I like when my neighbors mow during the week and leave weekend mornings for relaxation,” a Concord, New Hampshire, Patch reader agreed. “You can mow in the evenings. We all agreed in my previous neighborhood. It worked well.”

Mowing after sunset? Some readers weren’t so sure about that.

“Kinda annoying,” according to a Toms River Patch reader whose neighbor wears a head lamp so he can see to mow.

“I watched my neighbor mow at 9 p.m. carrying a flashlight,” an Oak Lawn, Illinois, Patch reader wrote.

Park Privilege At The Lawn Shed Door

“A lot of people don't have the luxury of being able to fit everything that needs done into their schedule,” a Brick, New Jersey, Patch reader wrote. “Some people actually work 60 plus hours a week.”

As long as people aren’t violating codes, “maybe you should start wearing earplugs when you sleep,” he continued. “I understand being courteous to your neighbors, but sometimes you don't have that option.

“Just because some of you have the opportunity to sleep in on the weekends doesn't mean we're all afforded the same opportunity. Some people's lives are a little bit more difficult than that.”

A Montgomeryville-Lansdale, Pennsylvania, Patch reader said she’s already up and ready for work, so it’s not big deal when her retired neighbor starts mowing at 7 in the morning. "But sometimes I wonder what those with small children think,” she wrote.

It’s inconsiderate to mow before noon, according to a Waukesha, Wisconsin, Patch reader.

“Some people work nights,” she wrote, using angry face and facepalm emojis for emphasis, “and they don’t want to hear the lawnmower at 7:30 a.m.”

Yeah, a Concord Patch reader said, or words to that effect.

“Some folks work second shift on Friday nights, so one should respect their sleep schedule if you care about others,” he wrote, adding, “Lawn mowing I can almost deal with; it’s those dang leaf blowers that make me wake up grumpy.”

Ready, Set, Start Your Engines

Somewhere between the crowd with zero figs to give about what their neighbors think and those imploring empathy and understanding were a collective of readers who backed their OK-to-start-mowing time recommendations with reason.

On the weekends, “10 a.m. for sure,” wrote a Montgomeryville-Lansdale Patch reader. “I get up early every morning during the week. I want to sleep in on the weekends!”

“Got to wait until the afternoon, when there’s no dew on the lawn,” a Temecula Patch reader wrote.

“Early bird gets the worm,” said a Woburn Patch reader, who said 6 a.m. is a good time to start mowing.

Another Woburn Patch reader said 8 a.m. “is usually a legal time,” but “earlier than that is nasty.”

“Usually I don’t like to mow in the morning because the grass is still wet,” a Perry Hall, Maryland, Patch reader wrote. “My mower doesn’t have a problem going through it, but it does kill the battery rather quick. If I wait until the afternoon, I can usually get it done in 45 minutes.”

The same task takes an hour and a half longer if done in the morning, the reader said.

“Before 9 is going to tick people off,” another Perry Hall Patch reader wrote.

“Down here in the land of redneck,” a Warminster Patch reader wrote, “if your yard’s not cut between 6 and 7 a.m., it’s too late — already 80 degrees.”

A Puyallup, Washington, Patch reader prefers to start mowing at 7:01 a.m.

“My mower is not loud, and I can get done and started on planting afterwards,” the reader wrote. “I wouldn't use the weed whacker before 9 a.m. because it's loud.”

People who use battery-operated lawnmowers have free rein to unleash their horsepower early in the mornings because the machines make “hardly any noise,” a Perry Hall Patch reader wrote. “I think 7:30 a.m. is acceptable. The lawn services start at 7 a.m., it appears, during the week.”

That doesn’t mean people like it, though.

“One of our neighbors has a gardener that comes every Tuesday and starts mowing at 7 a.m.,” a Temecula Patch reader said. “I have my alarm set to get up to wake my youngest up for school about 7:45. And in the summer, I usually have no alarms set since school is out. Super annoying to be woken earlier by a lawn mower. I’d say not before 9 a.m.”

“After 9 so neighbors can sleep in, and some dew has dried off the lawn,” another Puyallup Patch reader wrote.

Got to wait until the afternoon when there’s no dew on the lawn,” a Temecula Patch reader wrote.

“Between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. after the dew has dried off,” a Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Patch reader wrote, offering practical advice. “You get a cleaner cut and less mess stuck under the mower deck. Try to avoid cutting if the afternoon temperature is going to be 90 degrees or above to avoid plant stress.”

And speaking of stress, a Temecula Patch reader claims to have eliminated any chance of it among neighbors.

“I have a battery powered lawnmower that sounds like a fan,” the reader wrote. “It’s not like a regular mower, so I never have to worry about waking any neighbors.”

Or, be like this Concord Patch reader and just peace out:

“Waking up to the sound of a lawn mower going reminds me of my childhood,” she wrote. “I actually enjoy it!”

About Block Talk

Block Talk is an every-other-week feature on Patch offering real-world advice from readers on how to resolve everyday neighborhood problems. If you have a neighborhood etiquette question or problem you'd like for us to consider, email beth.dalbey@patch.com, with Block Talk as the subject line.

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