Help please, can I compost turf?

Lucy.82

We've just dug out some flower beds and am wondering how best to deal with the turf we've dug up. I'd like to separate off as much soil as we can but it's proving to be quite tiring and time consuming if anyone has any tips they'd be appreciated. Ideally we'd like to "compost" the turf and reuse it but I have no idea how to do this, pile it up in a corner of the garden? cover it with tarp? Any idea how long it would take?

Fairygirl

Yes - exactly what you've already thought of doing 
It's often suggested to stack it grass to grass, but you can just pile it up grass side down. Cover it, and you'll find in a few months or so it'll be fine.
I know it's too late this time - but if you scalp it with the mower first, it means the grass is even less likely to come through at all. 

JennyJ

You can stack it separately (grass side down) and it should rot down into loam. I think I would cover it to stop weeds growing on it, but then you might need to wet it from time to time if the covering doesn't let rain through.

josusa47

I'm similarly engaged, skimming the top of my skanky lawn to try and reduce the bumps and hollows and weeds.  I've got my hands on some metre cubed bags, the builders merchants never want them back, and I'm lining them with cardboard to help exclude light, and stacking the turf green side down.  When the bag's full, I'll be covering it with plastic bags and stones to keep them from blowing away.

nick615

If you've got the space etc., you can build them into a 'wall' (as everyone else says, grass side down) in a square or circular shape.  By filling it with as many goodies as you can and keeping it very moist, it's a good place in which to grow marrows for a season, after which most of the grass will have rotted away and you can redeploy the soil.

Robmarston

stack them up grass side down and plant potatoes in them. I did this once and got a good crop of tatties and by the time I dug them up the turves had turned into the most wonderful soil. 

josusa47

josusa47 said:

I'm similarly engaged, skimming the top of my skanky lawn to try and reduce the bumps and hollows and weeds.  I've got my hands on some metre cubed bags, the builders merchants never want them back, and I'm lining them with cardboard to help exclude light, and stacking the turf green side down.  When the bag's full, I'll be covering it with plastic bags and stones to keep them from blowing away.

I've re-thought the last bit, everyone is saying keep it moist, so I'll top it with cardboard instead of plastic.  I tried stacking it in the open, and it turned into a nursery for couch grass and creeping buttercup.  Hence the bag.