Why Mulch?
Mulch is a wonderful thing
Whether you are looking to reduce the amount of weeding you are doing, reduce the amount of water your growing space needs, improve your soil, or just to add that finishing touch to your gardening space, Mulch is going to help you do just that. ce.
Suppressing Weeds – While I have heard that weeding can for some people be a meditative experience, I do know that the less we have to weed our gardens the better. Mulch covers the soil and those pesky weeds have a harder time establishing, allowing the plants we want to grow flourish.
Reducing water loss – When soil is left uncovered it gets really hot on those hot summer days and loses it’s water due to evaporation. When mulch is applied, it acts as a cover, or protective barrier to the soil and allows the soil to retain the moisture it needs. So the water you do give to your plants stays exactly where it’s needed, in the soil, ready for your plant to use.
Improving your soil – Healthy soil needs the same things that a healthy human needs, water, food, shelter. Mulch can help to provide all of these things. It shelters the soil to ensure that it doesn’t get too hot, that it doesn’t blow away and it retains moisture. Water is preserved in the soil when mulch is applied ensuring that the soil and your plants are able to get the drink they need, and finally food, a good organic mulch (By organic we mean that it was once living) such as wood chips, straw, or grass clippings etc…it will break down and provide food for all of the microorganisms responsible for keeping the soil healthy and productive.
And of course last but not least…
Beauty – Mulch really does make a space beautiful, it can neatly layout the paths in your garden, (ensuring you don’t step on and compact your garden beds) it can provide crisp clean borders around beds to seperate garden beds from lawns. It really is a wonderful thing.
Mulch is a great tool and there are many different types of mulch. Each with their own benefits and where they work best.
Wood Mulch is great for areas that are more permanent like pathways or perennial beds that will not be reseeded or replanted for a long time. We have found that a good 6 inch deep wood mulch will prevent weeds and grass coming through. When grass does start popping through add another inch or two of mulch and you should be good. Your mulch probably just decomposed and needs a top up.
Grass Mulch or Straw or Leaves are great for areas like your annual vegetable garden as they break down quickly and can be moved aside easily to plant new things or allow for seeds to germinate. Make sure that water can travel through the mulch to your soil. Leaves and grass mulch are notorious for matting up and not letting water past. 6 inches of mulch will suppress weeds, however you may be able to get away with a less thick mulch in an annual garden.
