South of Stockbridge the ground drops low and black where the Portage River wanders through old marsh, and that dark soil grows grass like nothing else in the county. American Beauty Sod Farm works in it, raising sod in the field, cutting it fresh, and laying it into yards that need an actual lawn rather than the promise of one. There is a moment when the last roll goes down and a bare lot turns green in a single afternoon; that never gets old. Ground prep, grading and watering instructions come with the delivery, because new sod is made or lost in its first two weeks. In a township full of hayfield and woodlot, growing lawn by the acre feels right at home.