Almost every homesteader has a garden. Every garden should have compost and mulch. It is so important that you understand the difference between composting and mulching. It is even more important that you understand why you should mulch your garden.
Mulch is possibly one of the most underrated garden resources. Where people are quite happy to use compost to enrich their soil, they often miss out on the huge benefits mulch can offer because they don’t really understand the difference between the two.
Compost is soil like and is composed of decayed organic material. It is often quite fine and can be raked into topsoil quite easily. Mulch, on the other hand, has not decayed yet and is made up of things like wood chippings. This material should be laid on top of the soil and used to keep the roots of your plants cool over the summer.
Why You Should Mulch Your Garden
Where to Get Mulch
Most garden centers will have mulch available. You might also like to try out mulch delivery in Baltimore if you don’t want to load up your car yourself and want mulch delivered directly to your garden. It can come in all different forms and kinds. So take some time to read what each type contains and see if it will be suited to your garden.
Alternatively, you can produce your own mulch. This is a good cheap method that makes use of waste from your own garden. It redistributes the nutrients in the materials. It is also a bit faster to make than compost. So you won’t need to store it for very long.
Are There Different Types of Mulch?
In short, yes. There are all kinds of different mulches that are made up of different materials and used for slightly different things. Leaf mulches are the easiest to produce and can be made in autumn using any fallen leaves you find around. Just rake the leaves into a pile and then run the lawnmower over them to shred. Pick up the leaves and keep them in a ventilated sack in the shed until you are ready to use them.
Grass clippings are ideal left on the lawn as they return moisture to the grass as well as plenty of nitrogen for new growth. All you need to do is mow over the clippings again and rake them in well so that they can’t form a sun blocking mat.
Wood chips are also a great addition and are a brilliant way to neaten up your garden too. Use them under trees and shrubs where they will last for a long time while they decompose. You might also like to use wood chips and bark to create organic walkways in your garden.
When to Use Mulch
Mulch is best used between spring and autumn when the weather is warm. At this time, you should give your plants a good spread of it around their roots to keep the moisture in and ensure the plant doesn’t overheat.
Summer weeds are also a good reason to use mulching as the thick layer makes it much harder for young weeds to push through. Applying mulches in late spring will help to dramatically reduce the number of weeds that are likely to appear.
Do you use mulching in your gardens? Tell me what kind you prefer in the comments below.
I mulch and compost my gardens. I agree mulching is way underrated! Thanks for sharing on Homestead Blog Hop!
Mulch and composting are the two greatest things your garden could receive! Thanks for stopping by!