Best Grass Seed for Minnesota Lawns: Kentucky Bluegrass First, Fescue a Close Second

Walk down the seed aisle at any Minnesota hardware store and you'll find dozens of bags promising the perfect lawn. The University of Minnesota narrows it to four recommended options: Kentucky bluegrass, fine fescues, turf-type tall fescue, and bee lawn mixes. This guide covers the first three, which are the ones that make sense for most yards in Owatonna, Austin, Rochester, and southern Minnesota, and how to choose between them.

The Three Grasses at a Glance

The Best All-Around Choice: Kentucky Bluegrass

Kentucky bluegrass is the most common lawn grass in Minnesota, and for good reason. It has a dark green color, spreads by rhizomes to fill in thin spots, and stands up to traffic. It also asks for the most in return: more mowing, watering, and fertilizing than the fescues, and it doesn't do well in heavy shade. For a sunny lawn that you want thick and dense, a blend of bluegrass varieties is still the standard. Read more in our Kentucky bluegrass guide.

The Next Best Choice: Fescue

If bluegrass isn't the right fit, fescue is the next best option, and for a lot of yards it's the better one. The University of Minnesota calls the fescues "lower input" grasses that need significantly less water, fertilizer, and mowing than bluegrass. There are two different kinds, and they solve different problems.

Fine fescue: the shade and low-maintenance pick

Fine fescues are a family of fine-bladed grasses: strong creeping red, Chewings, hard, and sheep fescue. The University of Minnesota says a mix of strong creeping red, Chewings, and hard fescue is excellent for home lawns. Each does something a little different:

• Strong creeping red and Chewings fescue are the most tolerant of tree shade.
• Hard fescue is the most drought-tolerant.
• Sheep fescue is a low-maintenance choice.

The trade-offs: fine fescues are somewhat less tolerant of heavy foot traffic, and UMN advises steering away from older, non-improved varieties. Look for improved selections on the label. Shade-tolerant grasses still want about 3 to 4 hours of sun a day, and where snowmelt leaves standing ice, avoid Chewings fescue.

Turf-type tall fescue: the tough, dry-spot pick

Tall fescue is a different animal. It roots deeply, tolerates drought and wear better than almost anything else on the list, and can even be used in shade. UMN notes it's now common on sports fields, usually as 90% tall fescue with 10% bluegrass. The trade-offs are real, though:

• Coarser texture than bluegrass. It's a bunch-type grass, and it can look patchy if it's seeded into an existing fine-textured lawn.
• Slow spring green-up. It stays brown a little longer in April.
• Don't plant it where ice sits in winter, such as low spots that hold snowmelt.
• Buy turf-type varieties. UMN also notes that spring seedings survive their first winter better.

Which fescue for which yard

• Mature trees and shade: a fine fescue mixture.
• You want to water and mow less: fine fescue, or a bluegrass and fine fescue mix.
• Dry, sunny, and heavy use (kids, dogs, a slope): turf-type tall fescue.
• A low spot that holds ice: bluegrass is the safer choice.

Seed Mixes the University of Minnesota Recommends

How to Read a Seed Label

The front of the bag is marketing. The label on the back tells you what you're buying. UMN's preferred ranges:

Avoid cheap filler: "VNS" (variety not stated), annual ryegrass, Italian ryegrass, 'Linn' and 'Nui' perennial ryegrass, and 'common creeper.' Also skip mixes with perennial ryegrass for shady areas, because it doesn't tolerate shade.

Match Your Existing Lawn When Overseeding

If you're overseeding a lawn you already have, seed the same type of grass. Tall fescue in a bluegrass lawn stands out as coarse clumps. Fine fescue mixed into bluegrass works well and is a common way to add shade tolerance. See our fall overseeding guide for the full process, and core vs. spike aeration for why aeration comes first.

When to Seed

Seed from mid-August to mid-September for the best results. If that window has passed, wait for dormant seeding once the soil is cold, as we cover in is it too late to seed or fertilize?. Tall fescue is the exception, since UMN notes spring seedings survive their first winter better.

Questions We Get

Do fescue lawns need fertilizer?

Less than bluegrass. UMN says the fescues need significantly less water, fertilizer, and mowing. Tell us which grass you have when you request a quote, because a fescue lawn needs a lighter program than a bluegrass one.

Can I mix bluegrass and fescue?

Yes. UMN recommends mixtures like 20% bluegrass with 80% fine fescue for some shade, and 50 to 60% bluegrass with 40 to 50% fine fescue for sunny, low-input lawns.

Is fescue better than bluegrass?

Neither is better everywhere. Bluegrass is best for sun, traffic, and a thick, dense look, and fescue is best for shade, dry spots, and less work.

What about clover or bee lawns?

UMN lists bee lawns as a fourth recommended option. They're a different approach with different care, so they're outside this guide.

Sources

• UMN Extension: Buying turfgrass seed for Minnesota lawns
• UMN Extension: Renovating a lawn for quality and sustainability
• UMN Turfgrass Science: Which grass should you choose?
• UMN Turfgrass Science: Home lawn care newsletter, September 2022
• UMN Turfgrass Science: Seeding your lawn this fall: some considerations

Seed mixes and rates are the University of Minnesota's recommendations. Follow the label on the bag you buy.