Grass clippings tocompost

peweuk · February 2021

We have just taken over responsibility for a large communal area.

Along with it we inherited a pile of grass clippings stored in a box area made up of pallets.

The pile is 3 ft high by 7 feet long and 3 feet wide. The grass clipping pile has been accumulated but untouched for the last 2 years and is currently a wet slimy mess.

Someone has said that we should simply turn over the grass and add straw to make compost.

How likely is that to work, and if it would create compost, how long would it take before it became usable?

chicky · February 2021

You certainly need to add some woody material ....shredded prunings, shredded brown cardboard would do. But you also need to get it thoroughly mixed with the grass clippings. Best to start a new pile so that you can alternate layers of brown and green material. You’ll then need to turn the pile regularly (every one or two months). You shouldthen have useable compost in about 6 months

Posy · February 2021

It will make good compost even if you don't add anything, but it's hard work. We have too much grass for my compost bins so I pile it up in an out of the way place. At the end of the year I turn it with a pitch fork, breaking up all the lumps and mixing wet with dry. I do this again after a month or so and find that by autumn it's not bad and by next spring it is excellent, brown, friable compost. You have an awful lot so I would do a section at a time to save your back! Now I am old, I limit myself to about an hour's work of this sort at any one time and I also pause to admire my efforts!

Grass clippings tocompost

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