On 08 Apr 2004 01:15:10 GMT, ospam (Scott) wrote:

I too have been toying with this idea..for those of you who use newspaper, do
you use whole pages? a couple of pages? or shredded newspaper? Thanks--Scott

I saw mention of using newspapers to mulch beds, they said 4 or 5
sheets thick, spread over the planting area (for setting out
transplants) wet it down, and then make a + or x cut through the paper
and fold back the corners, dig out enough soil to plant your
transplant, then fill the dirt back in around the plant, fold the
edges of the paper back ..you should probably fold the tips of the X
under to make a ring to water through, but that depends on how you
water, any dirt left exposed is just a place weed seeds can sprout
from.

The several sheet thick layer of newsprint is enough to discourage
seeds from sprouting. It won't stop strong perennial weeds from
coming back from root, but it will certainly reduce your weeding, and
help keep the soil moist once you have gotten it moist to begin with,
and you mulch over it with grass clippings, peat moss, or whatever you
have to use. I would avoid uncomposted wood chips or sawdust or
shavings as they will rob nitrogen from the soil as they decompose. I
got some bagged version of soil aid but it smelled like turpentine! I
thought the stuff was composted before they bagged it up, but they
don't. I think that would be best used around established plants with
some paper or landscape fabric down between it and the soil.

As far as using shredded newspaper, I figure you could probably use
that like straw or hay.. scattered thickly between and around plants,
use only paper with black ink, no colored inks as they carry toxic
metals like cadmium, once the shredded papers are moistened a few
times they will form a mat, as the pulp fibers the paper was made from
separate and swell. Worms may try to eat the shredded stuff more than
the sheets of paper. (trivia Commercial worm bedding is made from
ground up paper with grains or other worm food... or it was when I
used to catch night crawlers to sell to the people who packed the
worms into cups to sell to bait shops in 1970s)

There are all kinds of stuff you can recycle for mulch in your garden
...it's all a matter of how fussy you are and how nosy your neighbors
are., regarding how your garden looks. I figure a vegetable garden's
job is to grow and produce as much food as possible in the time
allotted. Sure, it's nice to have them be pretty all the time, but
there are times when you use "found" objects for mulch, the
newspapers, cardboard, carpeting..I'd turn the fuzzy side down. ..
you can always put a thinner coating of "pretty" mulch for "looks".

Janice