GARDEN MULCH FOR BEGINNERS

Garden mulch is like a health tonic for your garden, whether it’s a backyard veggie patch or a formal flower bed.  We recommend gardeners apply quality garden mulch to help retain water, moderate the impact of both hot and cold temperatures, reduce weeds and fight pests.  This all means, you spend less time on gardening chores and more time on garden enjoyment.

Organic mulches, such as wood chip mulch, pine bark mulch, sawdust,chopped leaves, straw, grass clippings, compost, and black mulch, will also improve the soil as the formerly living matter starts to break down.

Inorganic mulches, such as gravel,garden pebbles,black plastic, and geotextiles (landscape fabrics), serve a different purpose.  Plastic and geotextiles help protect the soil from the cold, like a lovely cosy blanket.  Gravels and stones protect the soil from clomping feet and traffic along your driveways and paths, they can also be very effective for defining areas in the garden and creating effects.

You can always combine organic and inorganic mulch by applying the organic mulch first and layering the inorganic material over the top.

So which is best for you and your garden?

Organic Mulch

Bark chips or pine bark mulch will add textural interest to your garden as well as provide health benefits to the soil. Bark decays slowly and because of its weight, it stays where you put it! It will use up some of the nitrogen in the soil as it breaks down which will start to turn plants a bit yellow.  You can return nitrogen to the soil with compost or even your old coffee grounds (be careful thou, they can raise the acidity!)

Straw or grass clippings are cheap mulches that decompose quickly. These are great mulches for the veggie patch but are not the prettiest material for the front garden and flower beds.  Also, being lightweight they can blow about a bit.  Just be careful any grass clippings you use have not already gone to seed, otherwise, you’ll get unwanted lawn growing amongst the tomatoes!

Compost is free! If you or a friend has a compost bin or worm farm.  You can also purchase compost if you can’t find a free supply. Compost is a great way to add nutrients to the soil but can make a great home for weeds, so consider combining with another mulch product.  It can also bring some surprises from previous dinners, especially potatoes!

Manure is usually pretty cheap to come by (even free) and a great source of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus.  Be sure to use well-composted manure as fresh manure can burn your plants and often carries grass and other unwanted seeds.

When you apply your organic mulch, layout 5-10cm over the soil.  Be careful not to put it too close to the crown of the plant to avoid rot.