I have a theory that the melons in my yard are doing so well because the grass, which is getting long, holds moisture in the ground and on its leaves. I see that the grass is helping to shield the vines of the melons from the sun, and the melons’ own leaves are also protecting its roots from drying out.

The big tomato bed is surrounded by thick, tall (8-12 inches) grass. My theory is that the roots of the tomatoes are staying nice and hydrated because the grass is holding water below and above ground, and they are sharing.

When I started gardening, I thought “grass is bad!” but my opinion now is that grass is great and it is useful.

Masanobu Fukuoka’s principle of re-foresting deserts starts with growing grasses and trees next to water sources, and then extending those grasses and trees in directions; water will be pulled up through the long roots of trees and grasses. Having read his book, “Sowing Seeds in the Desert,” and having seen the productivity in my garden, I am favorable to grass.

I imagine the roots of the grasses in my yard aren’t more than a foot deep. I could be wrong. I am reading that grass roots are proportional to the length of the blade.

The “conventional” garden wisdom is that grass will “rob” the earth of nutrients that would otherwise go to plants. However, most vegetables have deeper roots than grass, and grow taller than grass. I think that planting directly into grass (or at least clearing a small area for the vegetable) would be beneficial for any vegetable and would reduce the amount of water that vegetable needs, compared to being planted in an open bed. If nutrients are really such an issue, then compost will help feed the vegetables, and when the grass grows “too long”, start trimming it and use the trimmings for in-place mulch.

In addition to having grass as a lawn, I think that clover should also grow everywhere, and I am researching some additional things to add to a lawn to make it fun and useful from a homesteading perspective.

Theory about gardening with grass by mehron is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International