Forum home› Fruit & veg
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Using old grass clippings for raised bed filler. Genius or wrong?

TobykeaneTobykeane Posts: 47
in Fruit & veg
I’ve just created 4 raised beds and have 1000L of veg garden ready compost coming on Friday. By my calculations this will only fill each bed by half so I am looking into fillers before adding as final layer. I have seen some using old sticks and scraps from the garden for the bottom layer (which I have done in one) and then compost on top. We have two very large and old grass clippings piles which have grown over the years and pretty well broken down especially in the deep parts. Can I just use a couple of wheelbarrows of this as a bottom layer? I seem to feel it would be amazing stuff to use but part of me somewhere is telling me it might not be such a good idea... my main concern is that it is very dense and doesn’t have much drainage due to it just beeping grass and leaf mould. Should I add amendments to it? (Sand perhaps?) it’s full of tons of little red worms doing their thing which looks great to me as an addition to the beds. 

I guess Im mainly worried about drainage and any pests/bugs I might be importing into the beds. What do people think?

thanks






Posts

  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    It looks fine to use in the bottom IMHO. 
    Devon.
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    As long as your grass clippings are well rotted and not green, slimy and smelly, they'll be a great source of nitrogen.  Mix them up in layers or by the forkful with the other stuff so the roots of your plants don't hit "walls" of one material.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • TobykeaneTobykeane Posts: 47
    Amazing! Thanks guys. Yeh doesn’t smell at all and just checked the other heap which is even more decomposed and nice n crumbly so going to take a bit from there as well!
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    Just mix it all up.
  • NewBoy2NewBoy2 Posts: 1,813
    Tobykeane

    My idea of a raised bed is something over 20 inches high where the growing area is Raised above the rest of the soil so you can alter the structure and composition of the bed.

    I think you have just sectioned off an area of soil.

    As long as it gives you more control over the conditions that your plants live in that is all that matters.  :)
    Everyone is just trying to be Happy.....So lets help Them.
  • SmudgeriiSmudgerii Posts: 185
     My idea of a raised bed is something raised above the surrounding area, it needn’t have fixed sides either.

    With that in mind you’ve nailed the raised bed thing....  put the grass clippings as the bottom layer.
  • TobykeaneTobykeane Posts: 47
    Smudgerii said:
     My idea of a raised bed is something raised above the surrounding area, it needn’t have fixed sides either.

    With that in mind you’ve nailed the raised bed thing....  put the grass clippings as the bottom layer.
    Thanks Smudgerii! + fully agree
  • SilverlightSilverlight Posts: 82
    Call up yiur local tree surgeon and see if they will dump some bark chippings for you. I used a load for 6 of my raised beds and provides lovely drainage 
  • SmudgeriiSmudgerii Posts: 185
    Silverlight said:
    Call up yiur local tree surgeon and see if they will dump some bark chippings for you. I used a load for 6 of my raised beds and provides lovely drainage 
    Now thats when you need ‘deep’ beds.  Need at least 12” of soil/compost on top of the woodchip if you are going to grow veg.
Sign In or Register to comment.