The Carrot Tops Allotment Blog!

That’s right – I’m going to write a post about growing grass at the allotment…

There’s much debate online about what to have in between beds, be it grass wood chip or weed suppressant membrane – and each has their own pros, cons and preferences.

I’ve opted to create grass paths. The reason being is that in my opinion – grass paths are the easiest to maintain, because all you need to do is run the mower over the top of the grass.

Creating grass paths is relatively easy and if I could offer any advice, it would be to think about timing. In my opinion, you need to sow the seed at a time when:

1. It’s not too cold, so germination can take place.
2. You know you won’t need to walk on the seeded area for 2-3 weeks
3. It’s not too dry

With the above in mind, I usually sow grass (if I need to) during the spring time, where we we have the benefit of April showers and a healthy dose of the warmer temperatures.

As I’ve been creating my beds, I’ve been covering up the pathways to reduce the amount of weeds that grow, while I’ve been tending to other parts of the plot.

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This did work for the majority of the area, but alas the inevitable horsetail still pokes through. Making grass paths isn’t something that I do very often which means it’s one of those, if you’re going to do a job then do it right, kind of activities.

After removing the plastic, I dug out any weeds and horsetail, and then I raked out any stones or undesirables.

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Once that’s done, it’s time to sow the seed, a handful at a time.

It’s difficult to not get hung up on the footprints you leave when you sow seed across medium to large areas. The fact of the matter is, as the grass grows, and as the rain falls, over time these prints will soon vanish.

So it’s best not stress about these too much.

Once that’s done, it’s on with some sifted top soil with from the compost bin so that as much of the seed is covered as possible. It’s best to keep the seed covered as this will stop birds from eating the seed.

Before you know it, those pesky foot prints are already on their way to disintegrating into the ground.

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Finish of with a sprinkle of water and that’s one job off of the list. Within 10 to 20 days, you’ll see movement a nice layer of green shoots.

When growing grass, I make a point of not cutting it until it’s a decent height, or around 15-20cm or so, which may seem a little bit excessive, but this will ensure that the grass is well established and can withstand the first cut.

I hope the above is useful and the comments box below is open 🙂