It doesn’t take much space to raise an abundance of mulch. Then, as the various garden crops are harvested, just plant the idle ground in a mulch crop, even late in summer.
Several crops make good mulch material. Some of them also produce seeds for birds.
Multi-Purpose Crop Buckwheat
Buckwheat, for instance, might be called a multi-purpose crop. Its blooms furnish food for bees, and the foliage furnishes mulch material.
When the seeds have matured, they, too, make good bird food. The stalks make a relatively coarse chopped mulch.
Buckwheat begins blooming before it is very tall but keeps growing and adding more for several more weeks.
Because of its rapid growth, two crops may be grown in one summer. Another multi-purpose crop is cane or grain sorghum.
This crop provides mulch material from the stalks, long, broad leaves, and the plentiful seed is well-liked by birds.
Varieties of Buckwheat
Both short and tall varieties are available. Both produce equal seed quantities, but naturally, the shorter (or dwarf) yields less forage for mulch.
Grain sorghum may be planted in rows or broadcast. Thick stands produce smaller stalks and leaves, resulting in softer and finer mulch material than with wide spacings.
Growing Sweet Corn
Many gardeners grow sweet corn and use mature stalks and husks for mulch.
A heavy-duty rotary mower can be used to chop these stalks (and those of grain sorghum) into mulch just as they stand in the row.
If cut, while they are still green stalks, they are cut easily into coarse mulch. A large number of pith decays quickly to improve the soil’s humus content.
Amount Of Sudan Grass Mulches
You can make an enormous amount of mulch from Sudan grass. This grass can be planted with drills or broadcast.
It can be planted thickly and any time during the summer so long as it has a month or more to grow.
Early planted Sudan may be mowed just before the seed heads form. It will sprout up from the roots and produce a second crop.
It will grow to a height of 5’ feet or more and yield an abundance of mulch material.
Grass Catcher
Equip your mower with a grass catcher, and you will be surprised how much finely chopped mulch you can get from each lawn mowing.
This chopped grass is especially good around small plants or flowers.
Whatever choice you make, growing your own mulch is an economical way to obtain needed mulch. And old mulch can be used for making compost.
44659 by D. C. Marshall