Smart Lawn Guide documents the real-world process of turning compacted, sunbaked turf into a diversified home garden. Every tutorial, planting plan, and product review comes from hands-on experiments in Austin, Texas (USDA Zone 8b) and conversations with gardeners doing the same hard work in their neighborhoods.
Hi, I'm Austin Witherow. I grew up mowing lawns for gas money, but in 2019 I started reclaiming my own front yard for food production. That first season was humbling—poor soil, brutal summer heat, and more pests than I knew existed. I kept meticulous notes, photographed successes and failures, and shared progress on social media. Readers kept asking for one place to find the detailed lessons, so Smart Lawn Guide was born.
Today the property includes raised beds, in-ground guilds, rainwater catchment, and a converted lawn patch dedicated to pollinator habitat. I work with local extension agents, Master Gardeners, and suppliers to test soil amendments, irrigation layouts, and plant varieties so you can skip the trial and error. My day job is product design, so I approach the garden with the same mindset: observe, prototype, iterate, document.
Plenty of gardening advice is written in broad strokes that break down the moment you try them in a specific yard. We record actual measurements—soil pH, raised bed dimensions, water usage—and we log time, cost, and labor. If a project takes two weekends and a truckload of compost, we say so.
The majority of our articles start as personal case studies. Once we prove an approach works (or discover why it fails), we supplement those notes with cooperative extension research, academic studies, and expert interviews. Every guide gets revisited at least twice per year to update planting dates, pests, or tool recommendations based on what changed in the field.
Smart Lawn Guide thrives on feedback from readers who are reclaiming their yards across the country. We host seasonal Q&A sessions, share progress photos in a private newsletter thread, and partner with local mutual-aid gardens to test new crops. If you are experimenting with similar lawn conversions or want to share data from your grow logs, reach out—we regularly feature guest perspectives and case studies.
Current collaboration priorities include drought-resilient irrigation setups, pollinator-friendly front yard designs that pass HOA review, and low-cost soil improvement plans for new gardeners.
Need a quote or workshop for your community garden, HOA, or local newsroom? I love teaching the fundamentals of lawn conversion, raised bed planning, and soil health for beginner gardeners. Emailaustin@smartlawnguide.com with event details or interview requests.
Send your questions, corrections, or story ideas to austin@smartlawnguide.com. I read every email and use reader feedback to shape upcoming field trials and step-by-step guides.
