Grass Cutting and Composting

I'm a bit chuffed today it actually stopped raining. I took the opportunity to get the grass cutand as you can see there is a lot of it, the good thing about this is it generates a lot of grass clippings, these are very useful around the small holding.


TIP

It is well known that grass cuttings can be of great benifit when added to the compost heap but do not add too many at one time or it just goes to a horrible slimy mess but if you layer it with dry & fibrous material ie shredded newspaper, cardboard or straw this will help with ventilation.


We add all our animals bedding straw and shavings which contain droppings, pig, chicken & goat poo are very good activators that get your compost heap going,do not put any cooked food or meat as this will atact rodents and rats.


If Sharon or myself are working outside and nature calls then we have a bucket for No 1's this is also put on the compost heap to activate it also kitchen peelings & tea bags spent flowers are also added. To do well the heap should be damp,dark & warm also the more heat your compost heap can generate the better this will speed the process and kill any weed seeds. Every now and again the heap needs to be turned, this adds air to the compost, helps mix it, lets you check on its progress and generally helps produce a good end product over time.


Grass cuttings are also very good as a mulch around plants and vegetables, I put a lot of todays cuttings around my swift potatoes this will create a little heat but also hold in the moisture, the runner beans also had the same treatment. They are very good at supressing weeds, at the top of the garden area we have a hedge that use to have a lot of stinging nettles and thistles growing from the base, over time I have put lots of grass cuttings along the hedge base and now there is not a nettle, thistle or weed in site.