What do you think is the best time to seed/overseed grass? It's been a pretty brutal summer and I guess I kinda want to know if it's way too early to do now? Thanks for any valuable input.

Seed in early spring. Like March. Seeding in the fall is just seedy advertising to sell seed.

Way too hot to aerate now.
Overseeding is a waste of money now.

Our zone will be ideal end of September.

Here’s what I do:
Take a spade and look at the cross section of your lawn.
The spongy layer between the grass and the roots is called thatch.
Ideally, with a fescue mix, you want about 1”.
This amount of thatch retains water and keeps the roots insulated from heat/excessive cold.

Next, put down 4#/1000 sq ft of dolomitic lime(the round granules) on the area you are targeting for over seeding. The lime will bump up the pH slightly to encourage germination of the seed you plan on putting down to increase germination success.

Rent a core aerator. Or, hire a reputable company to do it. I’ve aerated with different types of machines, and if you are not careful around decks/trees/kids, it can get unwieldy. Lots of times they are all rented out. A fair price hovers around $100-$150/half acre of turf. Be home when they come if you hire someone. Multiple passes in perpendicular swaths for total coverage. Look at the plugs. When you can examine the strata and the plug stays intact, you don’t need any type of soil top dressing. If the plug is just some grass with the remainder of the plug crumbling away, you can top dress with 2cu ft bags of composted soil. The fancy topsoil you buy at Lowe’s/he is just sand and dark mulch. Aka junk.
Get a consistent grass seed. Nows the time not to be cheeeeep. Stay away from “contractor grade” “k31” etc. this is the seed those guys put down when they installed the FIOS in your hood-aka shit. I use Rebels seed every other year. I never used the papery patch Scott’s stuff because I do all the above to prep it. Caveat: the papery lint patch stuff is expensive and if YOU DO NOT CONSISTENTLY water it, the paper will become HYDROPHOBIC and actually repel water! Same with peat moss.
Overseed at 2lbs/1000 sq ft initially. Slightly rake over the area you overseeded. This helps guide the seeds off the blades of existing grass. If they get into the core aeration holes-that’s ideal! Don’t rake like your a madman either. Just like you’re combing a child’s hair....gently.

Depending on how your removed plug looked, now would be an ideal time to add a thin top dressing. Grass blades should still be visible thru topdressing. Water with a nozzle to MOISTEN LAWN.

*DO NOT USE A SPRINKLER!! (Whether oscillating or impact sprinkler). You will wash away your $$$$$ seed.

Address larger bald areas with more composted soil/grass seed. If area is larger than 1ft in diameter, put straw on top(to keep birds away/seed washing away).
No need to put down “starter fertilizer.” That’s BS from the feet companies. Rebels seed adds a tiny bit of ryegrass to their blends to use as a qualitative indicator for germination. Ideally, you will see that ryegrass germinate within 7-10 days. Time your overseeing with current storm weather.
Do it right. Take your time. Fertilize the whole lawn around thanksgiving with normal fall feet. Blow the acidic leaves off the turf when leaves fall. Otherwise you will need to do this task yearly vs. every other year, then Every 5 years.

Source: been in the landscaping industry since 1996.
Hold three patents that deal with cultivating cannabis.
Make a fungal dominant compost that sells out for $2/lbs.

Too Early or Too Late? Wrote:
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> Seed in early spring. Like March. Seeding in the
> fall is just seedy advertising to sell seed.

Spring seeding=not enuf time for root establishment before hot weather.
Fall seeding=time for root development over the winter

You start seeding immediately. Spray a heavy layer of vinegar over the seeds 3 times a week until spring to speed up growth. You will have the nicest yard on the block.

Just learned that those purple apron garden center people(not Home Depot employees), are battered women and ex offenders!
No wonder they super nasty when you ask : “do I need to amend my soil for these azaleas?”
And the ex prostitutes reply: “I don’t work here asshole!”
See for yourself next time!

Do not seed in the spring. It will look great until the summer heat kills it.

The key to cool season grass seed germination is nighttime soil temperatures in the 60-65 degree Fahrenheit range, so keep an eye on the ten-day forecast.

The guy on the garden call-in talk show says overseeding is a waste of money.