A mulch might be described in simple terms as a soil covering. Nature intended the soil to be covered with fallen leaves and decaying or living plants. So, in its broadest interpretation, a mulch would include ground covers of low-growing plants under shrubs and trees. But, it is generally thought of as some form of … Read more
Sawdust, I have discovered, is an excellent mulch for daffodils. Its greatest advantage is its almost total suppression of weeds. This has allowed me to grow a collection of 135 varieties with very little care. Anyone who has ever hoed and weeded a planting of several hundred daffodil bulbs can appreciate the elimination of this … Read more
The lowly shall be great: that has become the destiny of the corncob. It has long been recognized as a useful article for corn cob pipes, as litter for chickens, as feed for pigs, and finally, as a soil conditioner and mulch. The last high estate was reached after it began to be advocated with … Read more
How would you like to harvest a crop of vegetables without weeding, watering, spraying, or dusting? Or grow off-season crops such as head lettuce in August or carrots ready to harvest by Christmas? The modern miracle-mulch which has made this a reality in tidewater Virginia is aluminum foil. Aluminum foil is aluminum rolled very thin, … Read more
In many states, great piles of sawdust are going begging. Some of them, aged and well-rotted, are located in country sawmills. Others, both old and fresh, stand high in local lumber yards where lumber is cut for retail trade. It may be hard to ask if you can carry much of this sawdust from the … Read more
Thick layers of mulching materials lessen the need for weeding and cultivating, conserve moisture (reducing the need for watering), and gradually build up soil fertility. And they effectively lower the soil temperature, as the photographs on the left show, helping promote plant growth during hot weather. We, gardeners, should mulch whenever and wherever we can. … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
Snow may come and go during the month of December, but except for the far north, it seldom stays throughout the month. Consequently, it cannot be depended upon to protect gardens, trees, and shrubs. Mulching with tree leaves or covering hay always is necessary for our area. This protective mulch may not be necessary until … Read more
In Northern climates, the fall gardening chore that takes top priority over the others is protecting the plants which might not survive the winter. This can be done by applying a mulch or protective layer of peat moss or some other material in and around the plants. Whether or not a plant should be protected … Read more