The Northern Hemisphere may be descending into winter, but it's never a bad time to fantasize about your summer garden. One home gardener showed their followers how grass clippings provided them with free mulch all season long.
The scoop
Ashton (@ashnicholel) is a TikToker who shares DIYs, recipes, and garden tips. In one clip, they discussed the apparently controversial choice of using simple grass cuttings to mulch their garden beds.
@ashnicholel mulch your garden beds!! 🌱 . . . #gardening #gardentok #raisedbedgarden #homegarden ♬ Voice of Nature - Lesfm, Olexy
"People were seriously up in arms about it; they told me that grass was gonna sprout … and that did not happen," Ashton said.
The video shows the creator collecting grass clippings from their yard and spreading them around their raised beds. "The benefits of this are so good for your garden — it keeps the soil from drying out … and it only takes us mowing one time for me to fill both beds," they said.
Ashton also said that they throw whatever grass clippings don't end up in the garden into the compost. So, one way or another, this detritus is feeding their yard.
How it's working
Mulch can be an important part of any garden. It's not explicitly necessary, but it can provide nutrients to your home garden and keep your soil moist. Like Ashton said, grass can be used as a mulch option.
"Grass clippings are a good mulch option with a few conditions: do not apply more than 1 or 2 inches of grass clippings at one time, and use dry clippings," the University of Minnesota Extension wrote.
In addition to being useful for growing, grass clippings are also free, whereas some types of mulch can cost $5 a bag at a big box store.
Gardening can be a great source of hyper-local food, and even with some upfront costs, it can save you hundreds of dollars a season on produce. Those who garden also tend to have healthier diets and even better mental health.
🗣️ What's the hardest thing about taking care of your yard?
🔘 Mowing the lawn 🏡
🔘 Controlling weeds 🌿
🔘 Keeping pests at bay 🐿️
🔘 I don't have a yard 🤷
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
Ashton also mentioned composting, which can be an alternate source of nutrients for your garden and a great way to help reduce food waste.
What people are saying
Commenters were skeptical but interested in trying out this mulch technique.
"Definitely better to let it compost a bit first for healthy soil and veggies, but I love the idea of using what you have when you have it," one person wrote.
Another gardener explained, "I do this, but I just avoid clipping where our grass has gone to seed."
"This is such a good tip," someone else said. "I had no idea!"
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