Four Generations of Sod Farming in the Dayton, OH Area
Gerdes Turf Farms, Inc. is a local, family-owned sod farm based in Xenia, OH, providing sod and hydroseeding to establish and repair lawns across the Dayton metro and surrounding communities. Lee Gerdes started the farm in 1913. His sons, Tom and Tony Gerdes, took over and expanded the business into full-scale sod production, growing what began as a small family plot into a farm that today harvests sod daily with modern automatic harvesters, forklifts, and semi-trucks — a long way from the hand-stacked pallets of the farm's early decades.
Today the next generation of the Gerdes family, led by Kevin Gerdes, runs day-to-day operations — from the fields to the installation crews to the office. Very few sod farms can say they have had a member of the same family at the helm for over 110 years; that continuity is why customers across Xenia, Beavercreek, Fairborn, Kettering, and the wider Dayton area still call Gerdes first when they need sod, hydroseeding, or a lawn brought back to life.
What sets us apart:
- Grown, not just installed — we harvest our own Tall Fescue sod fresh daily, so it establishes faster and with less shock than sod trucked in from out of state.
- One family, four generations, one address — 1441 Upper Bellbrook Rd., Xenia, OH, since 1913.
- A focused specialty — sod and hydroseeding to establish new lawns and repair existing ones, plus delivery and DIY pickup, rather than a broad, generalist landscaping menu.
- Local knowledge of Dayton-area soil, drainage, and shade conditions that national chains simply do not have.
