A Ten Point Moon and Grass Clippings

Tuesday, July 7th, is the Full Moon called the Full Buck Moon or the Thunder Moon. The moon is called the Full Buck Moon since this is the time of the year when the bucks begin to grow their antlers. Just a quick note, there are only 77 days till the first day of autumn (groan or sigh). At this time of year the deer have a reddish-brown coat which is actually pretty.

Here I am seeing plenty of deer, maybe some big bucks. But I have heard others say the opposite.

This is also the time of the year when grass cutting becomes a weekly chore (if the rain would stop). Depending on the size of the yard and the frequency of mowing, that can be a lot of grass, which actually is a high value fertilizer.

Grass clippings, basically free, are filled with benefits. They are excellent to leave on the lawn instead of raking and bagging, the clippings can be used as a good mulch, and can be used in the compost pile to make an superb compost.

There are a couple tricks to using grass clippings, rich in nitrogen, in the compost bin. Brown material, such as leaves saved from last autumn, need to be mixed into the pile. Other brown material (carbon or “dead stuff”) can be used as well.

Grass clippings because of their high moisture content, need to be turned over frequently, otherwise the grass clippings tend to compact and can emit a strong smell. Another option is to include hedge trimmings to allow air or oxygen into the pile to preventing the matting. Adding some lime will help to kick start the decaying process as well as a few springs of the herb yarrow (white flowers pictured above).

Blogs I am following, all informative and god reading:

New York Southern Tier

On Your Way to the Top

Urban Veggie Garden