Gardening is a most satisfying hobby and skill. And, as with most hobbies and skills, there is always something to learn and something to improve. Perhaps one of the most overlooked, yet one of the most beneficial things you can do for your backyard vegetable garden is to mulch. Is the extra labor of mulching necessary? What is "mulch" exactly? And, what are the overall advantages of adding mulch to your garden? Follow along in this article, for there is "mulch" to learn and glean!
Basically, mulch is a layer of organic matter that is used as a soil cover to preserve soil moisture, control weeds, and improve soil fertility. You can create rich and fertile soil in your garden from unwanted plant materials, such as grass clippings, straw, leaves, etc., mixed with aged manure. It is very important to used aged manure, as fresh manure may be too "hot" and literally "burn" your young plants.
The benefits of mulching your garden are numerous. One advantage to mulching is that it helps conserve soil moisture by holding the moisture in and next to the plant. By providing your plants with a constant water supply, your plants will be more robust and healthy, thereby producing tastier and bigger fruit! Another obvious advantage of conserving water for your plants is if there is a drought or water shortage conditions. You will have a decided advantage for your garden! In dry or arid climates, a thick mulch will help prevent soil erosion in the event of a wind storm or a sudden rain downpour. In addition, mulching around your crops will help keep those pesky weeds at bay. And if a weed does pop through, it is easily removed due to the moist earth underneath. Also, a heavy mulch in garden aisles will keep those weeds down as well as provide a nice walkway and dry path after a spring or summer rain! Mulch also helps improve the soil because an organic, not plastic, mulch will decay and compost right back into the soil and add back those essential nutrients which are being used up in the growing process. Mulches also serve as wonderful and natural fertilizers, as well as cheap fertilizers since it is basically free to begin with! And, if you have seen the prices of fertilizer at the garden supply store lately, cheap is a very good price! Further, a nice, thick mulch helps maintain the correct and constant soil temperature needed by soil bacteria to do its stuff...that is, breaking down the plant and manure mulches in order for the proper nutrients to be released back into the soil. Another wonderful benefit to mulching is that mulch helps prevent fruit rot of such plants as squash and melons, by keeping the fruit from direct contact with the soil.
As you can see, there are many benefits to mulching your vegetable garden. So, is the extra labor of mulching necessary? Well, if you want to start having the most successful and productive backyard garden ever, I don't think there is "mulch" more to discuss! By the way, if you would like further tips on where to obtain organic mulch ingredients, or gather other garden tips, please visit the links listed below. A hearty "green" thumbs up to all and happy gardening!
