question about mulch

neefer wrote:I use I-forget-the-brand soil amendment or mulch from Lowes.  My visual examination says they are the same thing.  

We double dig our raised beds every year because of tree roots, so the mulch gets turned with everything else.  Then when I'm planting, I add more mulch on top.  

In the rest of the garden, I have heavy clay, so I am constantly adding a top layer of mulch.  I have improved my soil, but it is a constant battle.

All New Square Foot Gardening wrote:In much of the country, mulching a Square Foot Garden is not necessary. Normally, mulching is done to minimize weeds and keep the soil moist, and the nature of Mel’s Mix means neither issue is much of a problem in most regions.

In Mel's own words wrote:However, whenever I use wood chips in a Square Foot Garden, I always put down a barrier first because wood chips can pull nitrogen from the soil as they decompose, and your plants aren’t going to be happy about that.

markqz wrote:In my case, though I live in a area that could benefit from mulching, I feel the bugs use the mulch as a place to hide out. Anyone else find this to be the case?

In my area, probably due to the high humidity, mulch tends to attract sow bugs, which do a lot of damag especially to young plants. I usually put Sluggo Plus down on the bed before applying the mulch. As the sow bugs arrive, the Sluggo Plus eliminates them.  Note: Almost all pest-related sites say that sow bugs only eat decomposing organic matter, but in reality they eat the leaves off of young plants and they chew on the tops of radish, beet, or carrot roots that are above the soil line.