Making Compost from Grass Cuttings

Turning grass cuttings into compost after mowing your lawn can be a complicated task as usually you need to mix them with other forms of waste matter.  It is advisable to make a compost pile in which no more than a third is made up of grass cuttings. 

The abundant volume of grass cuttings during late Spring and Summer often greatly exceeds the supply of other green waste to make a suitable and usable compost mixture.  If this is the case then you can use solely grass cuttings or combine them with other mixed green waste.  This particular method involves the use of soil as an essential ingredient, and you must ensure that the pile is never turned and should be kept covered to keep it out of the rain.

Essentially you must keep in as much heat as possible.  One way is to make the pile a large one, although in warmer climes the heat comes naturally within the pile and requires little assistance.  Plastic compost bins, or adapted receptacles, are much better than using ordinary plastic bags, are very sturdy and make a big difference.

The actions to take are fairly simple.  Firstly, you need to make a layer of grass cuttings about 20 cm in depth.  Next, spread a layer of shredded carbohydrate rich material,l such as newspaper or sawdust, over the surface.  You can even use oatbran or such like if you have any stale cereal in the cupboard.  A couple of small handfuls should be plenty.  Now you need to cover this with a thin layer of soil.  Approximately 2.5cm will provide an abundance of bacteria and will additionally absorb the water and gases which stop the compost making process.  Continue in this manner until all of the grass cuttings are used, then cover the top to keep out the rain, or simply place the lid on the plastic compost bin.

Next time you mow your lawn simply repeat the process on top of the previous pile.  A pile made in Spring or Summer can be used in late Autumn or the following Spring.  If the grass has been treated with a feed and weed spray leave at least six months between placing grass cuttings on the pile and using the compost.

As well as grass cuttings I tend to add other natural matter such as vegetable peel or other similar waste.  I try to avoid anything which contains seeds as these have the potential to sprout and grow in the compost pile.  I also absolutely avoid adding any weed matter to my pile as they have the same reaction as seeds, which then defeats the whole object.

Good luck.

 

The Garden as Spring Begins

As the warm weather sets in for the beginning of Spring, as well as lawn mowing, there are many jobs to get done in the garden and vegetable patch. 

Prune shrubs that flowered in Winter/Sring as they finish.  This includes pruning natives such as callistemons, grevilleas, and even wattles.  This not only encourages an attractively shaped dense bush with more flowers next time (and low, where you can see them), but prevents the plant wasting energy on the production on fruit and seeds.

Poinsettiasmay still be showing some colour, so leave those until October if you prefer.  Also cut back shrubs like acalypha, plumbago and hibiscus, before new growth starts with the onset of hot weather.  Fertilise and mulch after pruning to set them up for the summer.  Be sure to use a low-phosphorus formulation for sensitive natives such as grevilleas and banksias.  If you have spring-flowering annuals in, keep up the water and give them a quick boost with a soluble fertiliser to keep them going as long as possible. Remove spent flowers to encourage the formation of new ones. 

In the vegetable garden September is a peak planting month in South East Queensland, if you want to capitalise on the relatively mild conditions of Spring and early Summer to produce a wide variety of vegetable crops. Things will be more difficult when the punishing  Summer weather really arrives.  Solanaceous crops, such as tomatoes, eggplant, capsicums, tamarillo.  Cucurbits, like, cucumbers, pumpkins, watermelons, rockmelons. The choko is an unusual member of this family, but can be planted at this time, too.  Also, try carrots, lettuce, radishes, beetroot, silverbeet, beans, and cucurbits.  If you still have space, you can also begin sowings of heat lovers like rosella, okra, snakebeans and sweetcorn.

With the weather warming up, cabbages will be very susceptible to caterpillar attack.  If you still want to plant them, be prepared to take precautions.  Pests and diseases in general will be proliferating.  Keeping on the front foot both with respect to prevention and control measures, as well as attending to the health and vigour of the plants themselves so that they can resist and outgrow attacks, will help protect the investment of time and energy you’ve already made in establishing crops.

It’s tempting to get carried away when confronted with the variety of seeds and seedlings available in the garden centres, much less the many unusual varieties in the catalogues of specialist suppliers.  Most vegetables need a constant supply of moisture to do well so do bear in mind your ability to keep the water up to plantings over the coming months.

Pest control is also a major problem during the warm months.  Try to minimise population build-ups by being vigilant now newly hatched pests or isolated attacks may be difficult to spot, but if you control infestations early you can help reduce more serious damage later on.  For example, protect young tomatoes and other susceptible fruit from fruit fly with appropriate bags or nets and set up fruit fly traps.

The Winter Garden

During the Winter lawn mowing frequency slows, as do most tasks in the garden.  But it is not a time for complacency as there is still a lot of work to do.

With cold temperatures and short days, growth in the garden is particularly slow during the middle of Winter, and there isn’t a lot to do as far as seed sowing and pruning is concerned.  While there is plenty of cold weather ahead, the winter solstice means that by the end of the month, days are already starting to get longer. This is a reminder that Spring isn’t really that far away, so now is the time to get cracking on repair jobs, maintenance and landscaping projects around the garden.  Some examples being  preparation of new garden beds or soil improvement; re-potting  patio plants, if necessary; transplant established shrubs (also a good time because the plants are relatively dormant at this time;, maintenance of lawnmower and other tools; installation, repair or cleaning of paving, retaining walls, gazebos etc.

Physical labour is also a lot more pleasant in this weather than the summer months.

One group of plants that are quite active are the cool season weeds.   As with all weeds, prompt removal (whether by hand weeding or spraying) will prevent multiplication and bigger problems in subsequent years.  Don’t forget that weeds are also discouraged by good gardening practices – minimise exposed soil with mulches or cover crops and encourage strong growth of garden plants or lawn grass to outcompete weeds.  Pay attention to drainage and soil pH. Selective cutting back or thinning out of trees and shrubs to encourage stronger growth of sun-starved lawn or groundcovers could be part of your strategy.  Untidy flowering perennials that have finished can be cut back, but hold off pruning summer-flowering shrubs and tropical foliage plants until closer to spring, especially if in a frosty area. Just trim off any dead flowers and stray branches to keep them looking tidy. Spring-flowering shrubs should definitely not be pruned now – you’ll be cutting off those developing flower buds. It’s also the season for planting bare-rooted rose bushes. 

Why not bring some cheerfulness into the garden with flowers?  In Australia we are lucky to be able to grow many spectacular tropical flowering trees, shrubs and vines as well as the more traditional English-style perennials and bedding plants.  The cultivation of annual flowers, or even herbaceous perennials, is not as popular as it once was, but with our water problems eased at the moment, why not give it a go?  If you don’t have much space in the garden, you can still create eye-catching displays in pots and planters and brighten up balconies, patios, and paved areas.

While it’s too late to plant most spring annuals from seed, in frost-free areas you can still sow some for later flowering.   A few varieties that are readily available in seed packets to try now include alyssum, nasturtium, pansy, viola, johnny-jump-up (heartease), amaranthus, celosia, lobelia, cleome, salvia, coleus, verbena, petunia, dianthus, californian poppy (eschscholtzia), snapdragon.  Seed of perennials can be started just about any time if you can care for them, especially keeping them away from frost at this time of year, but germination will be slow in cold weather.

If you sow into smaller pots or seed trays you can get them started in a warmer place indoors, as long as you check them regularly and bring them out into the light at the very first sign of emergence (or before) and harden them off to the sun gradually.  An alternative is to buy seedlings from the garden centre, which will save you effort plus several weeks growing time.  More advanced plants already in flower are more expensive but the way to go for colour immediately prior to a special occasion like a party or garden wedding.

So there are a few ideas and tasks to keep you active and your garden well looked after during the colder months.  Enjoy!