Turns out that mowing (and maintaining) walking paths through a hayfield has an unexpected (to me) side effect.
Mow once, and the nasty tall bunch-type grasses grow back aggressively. Which, I guess, is what you want in a hayfield.
Mow every week or so for a season, and the shorter stuff starts taking over. Last year's paths are now largely covered with lush green low-growing stuff, and the mown-twice-a-year areas are already covered with tall clumps.
And, that neglected meadow area by the pond, where the terrain was alarmingly lumpy? I just gave it a going-over with the zero-turn mower, before the grass and weeds could get horribly tall, and it appears that it's not the land that's lumpy so much as the grasses. So maybe I don't urgently need to till and replant it, just mow every couple of weeks all summer and perhaps scatter some nice wildflower seeds on it. Or just see what grows there when the tall stuff is kept under control. (If nothing else, it'll likely get overrun by St. Augustine grass from the swamp, which is OK except for turning brown for the winter.)
... But, before I can finish mowing it, I need to remove a few brush piles and a fallen tree branch or two. After I get the brush piles off the back lawn, which is more of a priority.
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