Forget buying expensive mulch — you likely have all you need to protect your garden beds right in your own backyard.

A new viral hack shows how grass clippings from mowing your lawn make the perfect natural mulch, while saving you money and helping the planet.

The scoop

Gardening influencer Dirt and Wine Mom (@dirtandwinemom) recently posted a TikTok video demonstrating how she uses fresh grass clippings as mulch in her raised garden beds.

@dirtandwinemom My favorite mulch besides woodchips! This is great stuff, people! #grassclippings #grass #mulch #fertilizer #garden #gardening #spring #mowing #SmellLikeIrishSpring #2022 ♬ original sound – Dirt and Wine Mom

“Grass clippings are like fertilizer for the soil. This is also perfect compost material,” she explains in the video.

After mowing her lawn, she spreads the clippings directly over the soil in her beds. “This is gonna help protect the dirt from the sun. It’s gonna help the raised bed retain moisture when I water it. It’s gonna help keep the weeds down.”

“I’ve done this for years and my dad before he taught me,” Dirt and Wine Mom says in a follow-up comment. “Fresh or dried, it’s worked for me. This grass doesn’t grow in my beds.”

How it’s working

Using grass clippings as mulch provides multiple benefits for your wallet, your plants, and the planet.

You can save money by skipping store-bought mulch. The clippings act as a protective layer, shielding the soil from the sun and retaining moisture. They also suppress weed growth, meaning less time spent weeding.

As the grass breaks down, it releases nutrients into the soil, acting as a natural fertilizer to nourish your plants. Plus, you’re giving your grass clippings a second life as compost rather than having them end up in a landfill. By recycling this organic “waste” at home, you reduce your carbon footprint.

What people are saying

The grass clipping mulch hack is receiving praise from other green thumbs on TikTok. Many point out additional benefits:

“Great way to retain moisture and even promote microbial activity! Just be sure with grass clippings, age them so they’re dried out,” wrote one person. 

Others share how they’ve adapted the method: “When in New England I did this frequently now I’m in Florida and use wood chips and it’s 10 times better for mulching I load them on four times a year.”

The general consensus? People love this simple, affordable way to nourish their gardens while being environmentally responsible: “Love grass clippings for mulch.”

So, grab those clippings and get to work in your garden beds. It’ll save you money, help your plants prosper, and boost your mental and physical health — a true win-win-win.

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