Busy gardeners are always looking for new finds to make their work easier and to provide a conversational piece for garden visitors.
Buckwheat hulls are your answer for an easy-to-handle mulch which is economical, too.
Around July first, a new drive goes on — the flower beds are edged, and weeds are removed. Then, depending on the need of a particular location, compost may be added to sites needing a boost in organic material.
In other areas, a “shot” of good all-purpose fertilizer will be spread around the plants.
The fun begins now: a buckwheat India wheelbarrow is pushed to the scene. The hulls are disc-shaped, very light in weight, and appear rich loam after rain. When applied about one and ½” inches deep, they will not blow away but slither into place.
A well-mulched garden is the trademark of a gardener who intelligently follows the needs of his plants and saves his hours of garden efforts with his knowledge of practical and efficient techniques.
Observing The Open Season
From approximately the last killing frost until 6 weeks later, the garden beds are not covered with mulch.
The reason for the “open season” is that the ground needs arming up to promote rapid growth, and the essential condition of the soil comes in for review.
Annuals will be able to become well-established before a new mulch is applied. After serving as mulch for the season, buckwheat hulls can be worked into the soil to provide organic material for sandy soils and help break up clayey soil.
We mulch our garden beds so that moisture can be locked into the soil for hot weather and plants can benefit from the water slowly. Then, too, a mulch discourages weed growth.
This mulch can also be applied to Christmas when winter holds a dread for the owner of choice plant material. Buckwheat hulls provide an excellent overcoat placed around the base of these and other plants.
41409 by Alice Wessels Burlingame