As the green campaign is very important in the EU, we’d like to do our part. Our grass, which stayed green throughout the whole winter practically, shot up in the last month. It is nearly a foot in some areas, with the weeds even higher. We don’t have a lawnmower and it seems a waste to get one. We would have no place to store it anyway. The edge of the lawn by the fences are nice and trim due to the sheep sticking their heads through and feeding to their content.
We had considered letting the sheep graze on the lawn to keep it low. We see that they are doing a wonderful job along the edge. But we worry about the smell and mess of sheep manure. After all, the kids still like to run around in their barefeet. The landlord had even suggested this option when he saw the lawn, so he would have no problems with it. It’s been rather tricky catching the farmer, though. He visits once or twice a day, very briefly to do what he has to do.
In the last couple days, one of the lambs has found his way outside of the gates and was grazing on common grass areas. I was tempted to lure him into our yard and let him feed, but the sheep and lambs are still somewhat wary of us (except for the flocks that chased us in the fields). Even the ones feeding on the edge would turn and rush away when we open the front door.
As I said, we’d like to do our part to reduce carbon emissions and there’s no greener lawnmower than a sheep or goat. We just need to resolve the manure issue. Oh, and get the farmer’s permission as well. We wouldn’t want him to think we were stealing his animals.
LOL! I love trying to picture this… The lambs are adorable, aren’t they? Are the sheep friendly?
Oh, you missed the “stampeding sheep” post. For the most part, the sheep shy away from us. Unless we enter their territory.
Yank’s last blog post.The “green†lawnmower
There are many ways to solve the problem Bulgarian style.
Let it grow to half a metre and get a scythe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scythe) and cut it for hay for the sheep.
Get portable rabbit hutches with rabbit within with no floor and move them daily around the area, then slaughter the rabbit for free meat.
Dig the whole lot over and plant vegetables.
Plant fruit trees the shade will stop the growth of grass.
Finally letting sheep on the patch is a bad idea with kids, not only from the manure but from ticks that will infest the area.
Hope this helps, but it probably won’t. lol
Very interesting ideas, but you’re right. They’re not logistically possible for us.
Yank’s last blog post.The “green†lawnmower