Maine Garden Ideas
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How to Use Mulch in the Garden

Picture
by tonystl/flickr
If you are new to gardening, you have probably heard other gardeners talking about mulching and have probably seen those big bags of decorative mulch for sale in the home improvement center. If you are anything like I was, you may be wondering exactly how you use mulch in the garden. That, of course, depends on what you are growing and the purpose of the mulch. For ornamental or specimen plants, those bags of decorative mulch can enhance their appearance, reduce weeds and retain moisture, but when it comes to the vegetable garden, there are better choices for mulching.

Organic Mulch
Organic mulch refers to mulch that is made from plant materials and includes grass clipping, hay or straw, leaf mold or wood chips. Organic mulch breaks down over time and enriches your soil. Organic mulch typically keeps soil cool, retains moisture and suppresses weeds.

Inorganic Mulch
Inorganic mulch is produced from man-made or non-organic material. This includes landscape fabric, plastic or stone. Inorganic mulch also retains moisture and suppresses weeds, but it also tends to keep the soil warm.

Choosing Mulch for Your Garden

Grass Clippings
Many gardeners prefer to use grass clippings to mulch the area under cool-season crops such as peas, broccoli, onions, and carrots. Not only is it readily available and free, grass clippings keep the soil cool and protect cool-season crops from the negative effects warm soil has on their roots. Decaying grass clippings may temporarily reduce the amount of nitrogen in the soil.

Straw or Hay
Straw or hay is inexpensive and easy to use, but may harbor seeds that will sprout and grow in your garden. Straw and hay are best used in the fall as a winter mulch to protect perennials from winter damage. Some gardeners prefer to use hay or straw mulch for potatoes and allow the young tubers to grow under the hay.

Leaves
Chopped leaves make effective organic mulch and add organic matter to the soil. Layer leaves two to three inches thick to retain moisture and reduce weeds. Unchopped leaves may clump and become a slimy mass. Run leaves through a mulcher or let them begin to decompose before adding them to the garden as mulch.

Pine Needles, Bark and Wood Chips
Although pine needles and wood products work well as a mulch for ornamental plants, trees and shrubs, they are not recommended for vegetable gardens. As wood products and pine needles decompose, they tie up nitrogen in the soil and increase acidity.

Black or Red Plastic
Black or red plastic is often used under tomatoes and peppers and may even increase yields. Plastic draws the heat of the sun and keeps the soil warm. It is particularly useful in northern gardens where soil temperatures may be too low for optimum growth in tomatoes or peppers.

Choosing the right mulch for your garden vegetables reduces the amount of time spent on weeding and cultivating, reduces the need for supplemental watering and helps to maintain consistent soil temperatures. The type of mulch you use, depends on the plants you are growing and your personal preferences.


Copyright © 2014 Nannette Richford



  • Home
  • Garden Thyme Blog
  • Themes
    • Butterfly Gardens
    • Moon Gardens
    • Sensory Gardens
    • All About Fairies
  • Flowers
    • Annual Flowers >
      • Alyssum
      • Cosmos
      • Geraniums
      • Marigolds
      • Morning Glories
      • Nasturtiums
      • Petunias >
        • Reviving Petunias
      • Snapdragons
      • Sunflowers
      • Sweet Peas
      • Zinnias
    • Perennial Flowers >
      • Golden Glow (Rudbeckia laciniata ‘Hortensia’)
      • Lupines
      • Purple Coneflower (Echinacea Purpurea)
    • Maine Wildflowers
  • Veggies
    • Warm Season Vegetables >
      • Beans >
        • Growing Beans
        • Growing Pole Beans
        • How to Make a Teepee Trellis
      • About Corn >
        • Growing Corn
        • What is Baby Corn, anyway?
        • Can you grow corn in containers?
      • Cucumbers >
        • Grow a cucumber in a bottle
        • Growing Pickling Cucumbers
        • Growing cucamelons (Mexican Gherkin)
        • Why do cucumbers blossom but fail to set fruit?
        • Trellising Cucumbers
        • Making Cucumber Relish
        • Powdery Mildew on Cucumbers
      • Melons
      • Peppers >
        • Growing Peppers
      • Squash >
        • Growing Zucchini
        • Spaghetti Squash
      • Tomatoes >
        • How to Harden Off Tomato Plants
        • How (and when) to Prune Tomatoes
        • Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salt) for Tomatoes
        • Blossom End Rot in Tomatoes
        • Growing Cherry Tomatoes in Hanging Baskets
        • 4 Best Tomatoes for Short Seasons - Early Tomatoes
        • 5 Early Maturing Tomatoes for Short Season Gardening
        • How to Ripen Green Tomatoes
        • How to Make Sun-Dried Tomatoes at Home
        • Grow Your Own Amazing Pomato Plant - Tomatoes on the Top and Potatoes on the Bottom
    • Cool Season Vegetables >
      • Cole Crops
      • Greens >
        • How to Grow Spinach
        • How to Grow Malabar Spinach
        • How to Grow Swiss Chard
        • Harvesting and Cooking Beet Greens
        • How to Grow Microgreens
      • Onions & Garlic >
        • How to Grow Garlic
        • How to Grow Onions
      • Peas >
        • Growing Garden (shelling) Peas
        • Growing Sugar Snap Peas
      • Potatoes >
        • How to Grow Potatoes in Containers
        • How to Grow Potatoes in Hay Bales
      • Root Crops >
        • Growing Beets
        • How to Grow Carrots
  • Herbs
    • Growing Basil
    • Growing Chives
    • Growing Lavender
    • Herbal Tea Garden
    • How to Grow a Culinary Herb Garden
    • How to Grow Herbs in Sponges
    • Colonial Herb Garden - Classroom Project
    • Herbed Butter
    • Making Herbed Oils
  • Gardening Basics
    • Seed Starting Basics
    • Grafting Basics
    • Soil >
      • Starting a New Garden
      • How to Prepare Soil
      • How to Test Soil Drainage
      • What Type of Soil Do You Have
      • Soil Mix Recipe for Containers
      • How to Make Compost Tea
      • How to Use Mulch
      • Control Blister Beetles
  • Birds
    • Hummingbirds >
      • DIY Hummingbird Feeders from Recycled Bottles
      • Annuals for Hummingbird Gardens
      • Perennials for Hummingbird Gardens
    • About Birdseed
    • Choosing a Birdfeeder
  • Fiddleheads and Fairies
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • How to Marinate Roasted Vegetables