Recycle Your Grass Clippings

Most of the time there is no need to put your grass clippings in the garbage can.  I can think of several ways to recycle them, which will keep them out of the landfill and help replenish nutrients in your soil.

The best and easiest thing to do is use a mulching lawn mower.  The clippings are cut up small enough that you don't need to bag them.  You just leave them on the lawn and they add nutrients back to the soil as they break down.  I use a mulching mower, and the only time I ever even notice the clippings is if I am mowing extremely tall grass. 

If you don't have a mulching mower, consider several options besides the garbage can.  Grass clippings are great in a compost pile.  When they are green they count as part of your "greens" in the mix, and if they've dried up and turned brown they count as "browns."  Makes sense, doesn't it.  It is a good idea to mix them up with the other compost materials or add them in thin layers since they tend to become matted and mess up the air circulation needed for good composting.

It's this matting tendency of cut grass that gives you another option.  You can use them for mulch.  They don't make a particularly attractive mulch, but you can use them in your backyard or vegetable garden.  Consider lining your garden paths with them to keep down the weeds.  Or mulch around vegetables such as peppers or tomatoes.  Remember that as the grass dries, it takes up less space.  So make your mulch layer rather thick, or it might just blow away when it dries instead of becoming a nice dense mulch.

I killed all the grass in my back yard several years ago so I could develop it with a patio, gardens, shrub beds, paths, etc.  But I haven't accomplished these goals as quickly as I wanted to, so the weeds are starting to take over.  In desperation the other day I decided that even though I'm not ready to develop certain areas of my yard yet, I can at least carry out a plan to minimize the weeds.  I'm putting down a thick layer of newspapers first and topping it with 6-8 inches of grass clippings.  Both newspapers and grass will decompose in time, adding nutrients and organic matter to the soil.  But in the meantime they will greatly minimize the weeds.  This will save me (and my kids) lots of time in the long run, and help assure that my neighbors still like me!

If you don't have a mulching mower, you don't want to compost, and you can't find anything in your yard that needs mulching, what do you do with your grass clippings?  Give them to a friend, of course.  And I am happy to be your friend.  I have huge areas to cover, so I'll need lots of grass donations.  I am happy to come pick up your bagged clippings.  Use this secure online form to let me know you have grass to donate.  Clippings with a few weed seeds are fine, but if there are lots of seeds, or you've recently sprayed with chemicals, then I won't be able to use them.  Thanks.

by Sara