Kitchen Garden Forum

I usually cut into new year which suggests the grasses we have sown manage some growth below eight degrees. Right now i'm still cutting about every ten days rather than twice a week when the grass is really happy.

However, we do get occasional help and one of the benefits of living here though escaped cattle can make a real mess and we do have to take that without complaining considering we have moved into farming community.

Evening Richard, i normally stop cutting the lawns at the end of Otober to the start of November. This year though, i still have some lawns to cut that i haven't been able to do because of the wet weather. Although the cold conditions should stop the growth in it's tracks.

Regarding the sheep, if you keep livestock, you should be prepared to keep them fenced in, and that's coming from someone who deals with the farming folk all the while.

We did the last lawn cut about a fortnight ago, but the grass paths on the allotment are deliberately kept slightly longer because otherwise they turn into mud over winter.

Apropos sheep: our allotment has sheep on one side and and cows (usually maiden heifers) on the other side and we have had both come over/break through the dry stone walls and make a big mess of the lottie. By putting up tall wire fences about two feet in from the walls, we thought we had solved the problem a few years ago (they also stop rabbits climbing over), but this spring a lamb climbed onto the wall and jumped over the fence and then couldn't get back to its mother ..... The farmer rescued it!

Hi richard, you have one of the few lawn mowers that would make a nice curry

Robo!

I cut the grass at the holiday cottage yesterday, it was deceptively long. Starting to get on the border of cut/no cut due to the wetness of the ground. Very heavy clay. Hopefully the frosts will slow it down now. Not so bad at home as we're on sand.

I cleared some old shrubs back in October and planted bulbs and then grass seed on top, it's grown really well but I won't be cutting until spring.

MW

I thought we had done the last cut about a week ago but it's continuing to grownquite quickly and will need another cut in the coming week if only will dry out sufficiently. If we leave it long we start to suffer terrible problems with moss as a neighbour,'s wretched huge conifer tree now blocks out any sun for a large section of the day. I really wish it would get struck down by lightening and burn down!

grass will continue to grow above 5C but light intensity also has an affect on it too. I mow continually through the winter but it is usually monthly just to top it. if grass is left to grow long & thick over the winter then it will suffer on first cut in the spring by yellowing if any length is taken off in one go.
only cut when grass & soil is dry to avoid damage & use a winteriser to strengthen the grass roots & prevent moss,usually applied in october.

Had to cut the grass again today, I can't remember it being dry enough to do it this time of year before. There's usually standing water at the bottom of the holiday cottage garden by now but the mower didn't even leave wheel tracks today. I did swing the mower too close to the gate and jammed my hand between the mower handle and the gate latch though...I said rude words and now have a nice set of purple finger joints!

MW

Dear MW, hope your fingers aren't too sore this morning. And i'm sure we will excuse you a few rude words, due to the circumstances.

Thank you OH, they're not too bad this morning but I've had to find a different way of holding my mug of tea!

Hope your fingers are on the mend MW

The answer to the question is - I never stop mowing the grass. It's just that in the winter months it gets done a lot less often.

John