Grappling with Grass
Summer is here and that means grass. For a few glorious months
the grass has everything it needs. It also has me running around
trying to keep up with the bounty. For me grass is a big battery
full of stored energy. It powers the garden, the orchard, and
eventually my lust for grass.
The process has become a routine. First the grass is cut and
raked then piled around all the trees. This allows the trees to
go all summer without water, smothers competitors, and feeds
the tree. In late fall the grass is collected and stored over
next years garden. This smothers the weeds and protects the
soil. In the spring the grass is removed for planting and
composts in piles. When summer arrives the compost is placed
around all the plants to control weeds and feed the plant.
The pasture management literature talks about adding lime and
grass mixtures for optimum growth. It has legume mixes and
suggest sewing different plants to help the pasture. I never
do these things, but it is interesting to see what others are
doing. They would probably laugh to see me standing in the
middle of acres of grass with a garden rake, and i laugh at
them and their lime trucks.
For me traditional pasture management isn't all that bad. It
can be close to sustainable and allows a lot of people to survive
with current economics. But, from an eco standpoint
my garden rake, sheep, and natural plant selection rates a
little higher on the sustainability charts. Of course, all
this is just temporary. Soon the trees will grow and shade
the grass. This will require adjustments and the our on going
dance with nature will require new music.
jeff (grass hunter gatherer)
