Front yard for next summer

After a week of excavating to enlarge the pond and pile the rich soil in several places around the property, including the yard area, we went to Plants of the Wild in Tekoa, WA for a premium winter rye/bluegrass mix. Then we covered 6000 of the 12,000 square feet in plastic because, according to Plants of the Wild staff, October is hit-or-miss on freezing the vulnerable sprouts. On the 14th, after it all germinated, it froze hard, and the un-plasticed part did not make it, justifying the $130 in plastic for the 6000sqft.