You Bet Your Garden

A British gardening magazine recommends pouring grass clippings on top of shredded paper to make “quick compost.” On You Bet Your Garden, Mike McGrath reveals what’s wrong with this picture and re-iterates the rules of non-bogus black gold brewing. Plus, your fabulous phone calls!

I was just watching a “Florabest Lawnmower” video at the Facebook page for “The English Garden Magazine”; and the host used grass clippings and shredded paper ‘to make a quick compost’. I know you always recommend mulching grass back into the lawn, but there have been times when my grass grew so fast and tall that I needed to bag it. I only have two small trees, so there are no dried leaves for me to rake up in the fall and use. Is it okay to add shredded copier paper and credit card advertisements to my compost pile? I compost a lot of ‘green’ veggie waste and egg shells.
—Judy in New Jersey

Keep your credit cards out of the compost!