Mulching

Marvelous Mulch

Want to know how you can cut down on weeds, keep plant roots cool, and retain soil moisture while adding valuable organic matter to your garden? Just when the weather starts getting hot (late June in the northeast), it’s the perfect time to mulch your vegetable garden. Lay newspaper or brown paper grocery bags on the soil around your plants and then cover the paper with straw or composted manure. This organic mulch suppresses weeds and slows down evaporation of soil moisture, which means less work for you and happier plants! Plus, the paper and straw can be tilled into the soil the following season adding valuable organic matter. Try it!

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Blocking Weeds

Each year we lovingly start our seedlings, taking care to use sterile pots and soil, providing proper light and warmth. Once our new plants are in the ground, it only makes sense to mulch around them. This will discourage weeds from competing for nutrients and water. It isn’t necessary to buy expensive mulches to be effective. If you like wood mulch, Cedar, Cypress, or any redwood mulch will last longer than most others. Try using cardboard as your base and topping it with straw or shredded leaves. Be sure to cut drainage holes to prevent your mulch from washing away. When selecting straw be sure that you don’t get hay, the seeds in the hay will grow right where they are. If using leaves, it is vital to crumble them up so they don’t mat down.

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Mulch for Winter Protection

Perennials, strawberries, roses and tender or newly planted shrubs and trees will better survive winter if their roots are covered with a good layer of mulch. The primary reason for winter mulching is to protect the plant's roots from repeated freezing and thawing. It’s very important to wait until the ground is frozen before mulching - usually late December in our area. Evergreen boughs work well and there are usually lots of them available after the holidays.

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Mulching Eases Winter’s Harsh Effects

Gardeners with overwintering crops should be sure to mulch them to prevent repeated freezing and thawing or heaving in spring. Mulching garlic is particularly important if you planted late in the fall because it insulates the cloves allowing them to start rooting before they freeze. Strawberries also need winter protection in order to provide peak production. A good five to six inch layer of mulch should be used to cover plants. Straw or shredded leaves are both excellent winter covers because they don’t form a hard mat or produce lots of weed seeds. In addition, both can easily be pulled off the plants once spring arrives and used around the base of the plants to retain soil moisture, suppress weeds and eventually add valuable organic matter to the soil. Used around strawberry plants, the mulch also protects ripening fruit. As tempting as it may be, do not pull off the mulch on the first warm day of spring. Be sure to wait until temperatures are consistently above freezing to prevent frost damage.

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