On Thu, 15 Jun 2006 07:31:28 -0700, simy1 wrote:


General Schvantzkoph wrote:
I've just put in a big garden, 60'x14', with tomatoes, peppers, herbs,
musk melons, peas, cucumbers, and strawberries. It's weed free at the
moment but that can't last. Any suggestions mulch? I'm thinking straw or
peat moss. I'm told that bark mulch is a bad idea.

Grass clippings are a good, renewable source of mulch that disappears
within the season. The cons, at least at my place, is that they seem to
attract voles in a way no other mulch does. It is the best mulch to be
added under existing plants, because it is light and fluffy and does
not hurt them.

Leaf mold has the same qualities as clippings (renewable, disappears),
and makes the best soil in my experience. That is where I like to plant
my greens next year. Because some leaves tend to mat it is not so easy
to add under existing plants, and also leaves at the top tend to blow
and cover seedlings.

Wood chips last much longer (two years, and the biggest chunks much
longer than that), and acidify the soil. On ground that has been
covered with wood chips, you can only plant selected vegetables, which
stand coarse, acid soil, for maybe three years. Greens and cabbages
will struggle there. They ultimately make good humus though, simply
because when you mulch with them you are adding a lot more mass. If you
have thin soil, you could consider using it on a fraction of your
garden.

Manure contains too many seeds, though I lay it before covering with
one of the other mulches here. So does straw. Peat moss is for
billionaires.

Cardboard, covered with a thin layer of mulch, is also pretty good and
mostly disappears within the year. Or use newspapers if you have them.
The only con is that you have to level the ground underneath very well.
If not, water will initially run to the lowest point, and also there
will be seedlings that are below the cardboard. I use cardboard with
radicchio, which has big taproots and survives the winter here. In the
spring I need to kill it. It will push through anything except
cardboard.

I do have a giant pile of leaf mulch next to the garden, I've been piling
my leaves there for over 20 years, maybe it's time to use it.