Scything with frost

Back at the end of October we got our first frost of the year and I had no idea what it would be like scything with frost.

I know, you’re probably thinking “scything!” Cutting grass with a scythe? Yes, it’s all true and it’s not as crazy as you think. Back in 2015, our back garden had hip-high grass and I was wondering how to get it under control. I went on a scything course and learnt how to go about it. It’s not as hard as you might think and it’s a nice activity. And it’s not expensive. I costs only £118 for a beginners kit that includes everything you need and only about £150 for an advanced kit. That’s cheap compared to buying a lawnmower and a strimmer plus the fuel, etc. And a single scything blade can last 10-20 years if looked after properly.

I went out, early in the morning like I normally do (scything works best when the grass is wet – it cuts better) but I had no idea how scything with frost would work. There was a really heavy frost and I found that the grass cut even easier that normal. Apart from my hands getting cold, it was almost perfect weather for scything.

The biggest problem for scything is when the grass bends too easily and that’s why it’s better to scythe when the grass is wet. Well, with a frost, the grass was almost stiff and the scythe blade could just easily slide along a ground level and slice off the grass. Very satisfying.

So now I know that scything with frost is not a bad idea at all. I really like scything in general because it’s simple, easy, cheap, good exercise, helps me get to know the garden and avoids bringing motors and the associated fumes into the garden. Plus it’s really nice just being out in the garden in the quiet of the morning, and I’m gradually turning an ignored field into a nice vegetable garden and orchard.

Scything with frost – Related Links

• This is where I bought my scythe kit – http://thescytheshop.co.uk