Composting when you have only grass

texican · #21 01/12/11, 09:49 PM

Broaden your horizons.... you may not have "stuff" on your own land. If you don't, find it elsewhere. I have plenty of material on my own place, but if possible, I always gather stuff elsewhere. (saving my own for when there is no fuel left to go out and gather stuff).

I'd also seriously recommend getting a truck, even if it's an old beater. They can be had for cheap, equivalent of a couple of payments on a newbie.

Ken Scharabok · #22 01/13/11, 09:49 PM

There are still options for brown material for you.

Several 5-gallon buckets will fit in most trunks. Possible sources are, with permission, someone's pasture, a stable who will let you fill the buckets from one or more of the stalls, some cities have a central composting area where they make it on a large scale and then let people haul it off.

You might surprised at the lessor amount of garbage you have to have hauled off if everything compostable goes onto/into the pile.

A BIL makes his bins by using four T-posts with wire mesh inside.

After round bales have sat on the ground for a couple of years when they are lifted up it usually leaves several layers on the ground. Already partially composted from ground contact. If someone wants mine all they need to do is ask.

If you know someone with a full-size pickup a large round bale can be put into the bed. At your place you tie a rope around it and a handy tree to pull it off the bed. You can then pull off layers with a garden rake.

As mentioned bagged leaves on the side of the road. However, do ask the homeowner's permission first. Some people are funny that way. Stack them out of sight and they will be ready when you need them next grass cutting season.

Halfway · #23 01/14/11, 08:09 AM

Composting when you have only grass - Homesteading Questions

For next year's go-around and if you have the room, stack piles of grass and piles of leaves separately. The grass will dry and the leaves are already heavy carbon. Throughout the winter, dump all your kitchen scraps and toss a layer of the leaves or grass on top of it to keep out critters and you will have a very nice base in the early spring. I little "fluffing" and it will really cook in time for adding to your beds/containers etc.

I built a third bin for "leaves only" to prevent them from blowing away. It is mid January and those leaves are nearly gone having been used since late October.

unregistered65598 · #24 01/14/11, 08:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MOgal

Several posters have walked around the topic but I'd just sheet compost the grass until you have animals or could locate a source of manure, leaves, shredded paper, etc. Just layer the grass as it comes available on your garden space. The lower layers will rot in contact with the soil and earthworms will absolutely love it. I know some will say it will heat up around the plants and kill them. Well, I used to have mower fitted with a grass catcher and had no problems spreading the fresh clippings 3-4" deep in the garden straight from the grass catcher. I waited until the plants had a little size on them rather than tiny seedlings but it worked well for me. My philosophy is don't handle a material twice if once will do the job.

We do the same with our grass clippings, it doesn't get that hot here so we start mulching with grass just as soon as we can.

texican · #25 01/14/11, 12:37 PM

You could always luck up on someone needing their barns cleaned out. My cousin with the hundreds of goats and sheep (as well as uncounted hogs and hundreds of cows) has multiple barns and shelters for her small stock. Some they can get the front end loader in to clean em out... they put it straight on their gardens... the other lower shelters simply stack up higher and higher with manure.
Well, they found a local who's into organic gardening, and he comes out regularly now and shovels out their low slung goat barns... he gets trailerloads of organics, they get their barn cleaned out for free.

City Bound · #26 01/14/11, 10:30 PM

I lay my grass clippings out to dry in the sun and I add them slowly into my compost. I find composting grass can be tricky, it can smother the compost pile.

I heard from a teacher at the botanical gardens that anorobic compost is unhealthy for the soil, the chemistry of it can promote disease in plants. I don't know if this is true but I avoid too much grass in my pile, simply because it makes more work for me.

I use news paper, egg cartons, brown paper that comes with packages. I dont use shredded paper from the shredder because it is often glossed or the ink is toxic. News papers in my area are printed with veggetable ink, so they are safe to compost.

Cardboard composts slow, so does straw. You can compost natural rope too. I let my pole beans climb up some jute twin then in the fall I take the twin with the bean plant attached and I toss the whole thing in the compost pile.

Like Tex said, going around to see what is available outside your property is a good idea.
I take a few bags of leaves already tied up and ready to store from the sidewalk during the fall when most people are baging leaves and leaving them for the garbage men. I have two bags in storage, that is all I need for the coming summer.

You can compost hair also, and finger and toe nails. Try the local pet grooming place, they might be happy to give you their bags of hair.

katydidagain · #27 01/14/11, 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by City Bound

You can compost hair also, and finger and toe nails.

I put hair out for the birds and toss my nail stuff but my very OCD brother who's been saving his "clippings" for over 45 years might will his to your venture.