The Best Grass Seeds for Northeast Pennsylvania Lawns

lawn in front of a hosue in northeast pa

The best grass seeds for northeast Pennsylvania are all cool-season varieties like Kentucky bluegrass, fine fescue, tall fescue, and perennial ryegrass because they endure our cold winters and do well in our generally mild summers.

It’s important to know because building and keeping a great lawn starts with choosing a grass that is suited for our climate and weather conditions. And while each of these grasses has different strengths and weaknesses, they share this trait: they thrive here.

Let’s take a look. 

Fine fescue: Mixes great with other grasses

fine fescue grass
Aaron Patton | Purdue’s Turfgrass Science Program

Several cultivars make up this group of grasses, such as creeping red, Chewings, hard, and sheep fescue. They are all well adapted to northeast Pennsylvania’s cool climate and thrive in shady lawns. They’re less needy when it comes to fertilization, requiring only 2 pounds or less per 1,000 square feet per year.

Like Kentucky bluegrass, fine fescue mixes well with other grass types to improve drought and shade tolerance. Combine it with Kentucky bluegrass or perennial ryegrass to strengthen your lawn.

Key Characteristics

  • Good in shade; prefers less than four hours of sunlight per day
  • Not drought-tolerant; needs water 
  • Does moderately well in busy yards
  • Doesn’t require heavy maintenance

Grass Seed Options:
Outsidepride Legacy Fine Fescue Grass Seed (5 lbs.)
Eretz Creeping Red Fine Fescue Seed (choose your size)
Outsidepride Creeping Red Fine Fescue Grass Seed (25 lbs.)

Tall fescue: Hardy and low-maintenance

tall fescue
Aaron Patton | Purdue’s Turfgrass Science Program

Tall fescue is a fairly hardy grass that can go long stretches without supplemental irrigation, so it’s good for those who don’t want to invest hours and hours a week on their lawns. It’s also a good choice for yards exposed to direct sunlight throughout the day or communities that restrict water usage.

Along with this drought resistance, tall fescue also has fewer problems with the insects and diseases than other cool-season grasses. 

Key Characteristics

  • Moderate to high durability under foot
  • Requires low to moderate maintenance 
  • Potential for disease is low
  • Stays green through hot summers 

Grass Seed Options:
Triple-Play Tall Fescue Grass Seed Blend (5000 sq ft)
Eretz Kentucky 31 K31 Tall Fescue Grass Seed (choose your size)
Pennington The Rebels Tall Fescue Grass Seed Mix (7 lb.)

Kentucky bluegrass: Durable and attractive

closeup of kentucky grass in a lawn
Shutterstock

Kentucky bluegrass is popular everywhere in the North because it withstands cooler winters and bounces back great in the spring. It does especially well here in northeast Pennsylvania because it doesn’t care for blistering temperatures you find in Southern states but is perfectly at home in our low-to-mid 80s summer temperatures.

When you’re establishing a new lawn, know that Kentucky bluegrass germinates slowly. It takes between 10 and 30 days, which is why it’s often mixed with fast-germinating grasses like perennial ryegrass or fine fescues in new lawns.

Key Characteristics

  • Requires four to six hours of sunlight
  • Thrives with proper irrigation; goes dormant during dry periods 
  • Hardy; endures foot traffic
  • Needs a good bit of maintenance

Grass Seed Options:
Jonathan Green (11970) Blue Panther Kentucky Bluegrass Grass Seed (3 lbs.)
SeedRanch Midnight Kentucky Bluegrass Seed (5 lbs.)

Perennial ryegrass: Establishes quickly, handles heat

pyrennial ryegrass in a lawn
Aaron Patton | Purdue’s Turfgrass Science Program

The hallmark of perennial ryegrass is its versatility: you can plant it alone as a lawn or mix it with other grass seed to quickly repair bare spots or improve the durability of a lawn that gets heavy use. Perennial ryegrass also tolerates heat relatively well, which means it is less likely to go dormant at the peak of northeast Pennsylvania summers.

The one downside to perennial ryegrass is that it has trouble with super cold or very icy winters. But mixing it with Kentucky bluegrass fixes that problem.

Key Characteristics

  • Prefers full sun
  • Very drought-tolerant; goes dormant but rebounds quickly when watered.
  • Durable under foot; good for busy yards
  • Pretty low maintenance
  • Produces less thatch than other cool-season grasses. 

Grass Seed Options:
Outsidepride Perennial Ryegrass Seed (5 lbs.)
Eretz ProTurf Perennial Ryegrass Fine Lawn Seed (choose your size)

For more information about caring for your Pennsylvania lawn and landscape, see these guides:

Trust the pros

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Main Image Credit: House near Scranton U | Smallbones | Wikimedia Commons | CC0 1.0

Whitney Lehnecker

A native of Ohio, Whitney Lehnecker is a career journalist and newspaper designer. She now lives in Central Florida with her husband and two pups, Goose and Bindi.