Mulch

miinva 1/29/2011, 6:07 pm

Last year I read a lot about mulching and that it helped a lot and I mulched my herb pots with dried out grass clippings, but I didn't get enough of those to use in the SFG's. Does anyone have any recommendations? I think someone recommended using compost on a thread that I read but we didn't have the money to buy more last year so I didn't try it, although I'm definitely going to get extra this year to boost the nutrients in my beds at least once, halfway through the season.

The only company I found that carried mulch only had hardwood mulch, which I've read isn't good for garden applications, it's meant to be pretty and to go around flower and shrub beds.

**camprn** 1/29/2011, 6:31 pm

My preferred mulch material in the vegetable garden is compost and coffee grounds. In the flower bed and around shrubs, bark mulch. In paths and other areas where there are no plants, wood chips.

quiltbea 1/29/2011, 6:51 pm

You can use straw for mulch, and also last year's dry crushed leaves.

When you mow the lawn, if you have one, rake up some of the cut grass into piles here and there to dry out. Use them when needed. I leave some cut grass on the lawn to add organic material to the soil. It would be ideal to have a grass catcher on the mower, but we don't, durn it.

Don't use hay. I used it one year and all sorts of weeds popped up thru the hay to take over. I'll never make that mistake again.

SFG in Chicago 1/29/2011, 7:09 pm

Stupid question, where are you buying straw? I only have big box stores like Lowes & Home Depot & they don't have it. No feed & seed type stores around here.
Thanks.

miinva 1/29/2011, 7:19 pm

Horse farms often use straw, so maybe you could find someone with horses and ask them if they know where you can get some.

miinva 1/29/2011, 7:20 pm

Thanks for the feedback, everyone! I'm going to try to collect some coffee grounds this year. Last year I got some from my friend and put them in my compost pile, but I know there's a LOT more to be found if I do a bit of leg work.

quiltbea 1/29/2011, 8:37 pm

I have a Blue Seal Feed and Grain store in the next town. They always have bales of straw.

You can also look up on CraigsList in the spring to see if you can get a supplier to deliver a lot more at one fell swoop.

miinva 1/30/2011, 1:38 am

I'm watching a British gardening show called Life in a Cottage Garden and the host, Carol Klein, uses grit over top of all of her seeded pots and only waters from beneath. It appears she only does that when she initially plants seeds, but she never says why she doesn't do it later, she just initially says that it stops weed seeds from getting into the soil and retains the moisture.

What a great show! She's so passionate about her garden Smile

It's all flowers as far as I can tell, but it's so gorgeous! I hope to add some features to our property someday, but so far all we grow is food, other than the occasional bulbs that I pick up on sale and sneak into the ground for my own gratification Wink

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Using grit for mulch?

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