"DigitalVinyl" wrote in message
...
"Doug Kanter" wrote:


I will add some mulch as soon as the last seedlings show where they
want to grow from. Haven't decided if I want to do something cheap
(like newspaper, grass--i've read cautions about each)

Many newspapers use soy-based ink, so they're not a bad mulch. But, they can
mat down and stay very wet, which is an invitation to slugs. Grass is the
better choice, especially if you haven't used nasty lawn chemicals. But,
grass needs a little attention. Next time you cut, put a couple of gallons
of grass clippings in a small pile. Wait a day and reach into the pile. Feel
that heat? You don't want that near newly seeded rows, or delicate new
stems. Sprinkle it on in thin layers, but keep it a few inches away from the
actual growing plants until it turns brown, at which point you can snug it
up a bit. Other than that, grass is fine.


more attractive like the reddish wood mulch that I could buy at home
depot.

Great stuff, but it tends to be acidic, so you'll need to pay close
attention to the pH of your soil (unless you're raising nothing but holly,
hydrangeas and rhododendron). It's also mechanically irritating to kneel in.
Stick with grass clippings. If you must use store-bought mulch, get the
shredded kind, not the chunks, which will blow around when dry.


Actually this brings up a question that I've been wondering about. If
you use mulch, do you scrape it away to work the soil or work it in as
dead material? Is that what happens with the reddish mulch that you
typical see in landscaping? Speaking long term, over years, If you
always work it in, don't you end up with too much soil mounding up as
you add mulch, compost, etc. yearly?


Grass clippings will decompose pretty quickly, perhaps in a month. You can
help the soil by working them in carefully as you cultivate throughout the
season, and then apply fresh stuff. Shredded wood mulch also decomposes, but
more slowly. The long-term effect of working in mulch is beautifully
textured soil which holds water nicely, and doesn't compact after rains,
like unimproved soil. Yes, the rows will end up being RAISED rows, which is
good, but it won't get out of hand because there's constant decomposition
beneath the surface.