Selfsufficientish.com

In the matter of lawns I confess that I am generally anti. Not about the grassy spaces that children run about on and play games on, but the manicured, ornimental variety. They use up valuable veg growing space and, from what I can see, a huge amount of garden chemicals.

However, there are lawned areas in front of two of our holiday cottages that have to stay because they are home to a good number of trees that I wouldn't want to lose in any case.

But I maintain these organically - clover in the grass for fertility and manual removal of weeds.

This time of year I give them a thorough going over with the lawn rake to bring up the moss. And fine exercise it is too. Now, I've only done about a quarter of the area but I've already got a trailer full. I drive past the local dump on the way home, and normally I'd go and add it to the huge compsting bins they have there, but on a whim I've bought it home instead.

My question: would moss make a good addition to the compost bins or am I storing up trouble?

I know that peat is basically composted moss, but I seem to recall that that is produced under rather particular conditions in a bog over a great number of years. I aim to turn over the bins about every six months.

Anyone got any thoughts?

Assuming you havn't treated the moss with chemicals then it's fine to add it to the compost but mix it up with other stuff, not all at once.

I compost mine too, but only after it has been used as bedding for the hens - composts quicker and you don't need to be fussy about adding it in to the heap in smaller quantities.

I do the same with leaves in the autumn (as long as they are dry) - they don't last long as a bedding material though but compost much quicker.

Thanks for the advice. I particularly like the idea of hen bedding: there is something quite soft and inviting about moss. I've got two cubic meters to dispose of, but I'm damned if I'm going to let go an ounce of potential fertility again, so I will find ways of using it up.