Mark wrote:

I have found that in my city there is a free mulch. You can go to a
city dump and they will not only give you free mulch, but will load it
for you on your truck.

Now, I am sorry, probably I should read, but I do not have time.
And the answer should be pretty simple and not require too much time.
So, the mulch I was told is just to cover the soil. This is not food
for plants. Correct?

But I understand that nobody lives without food. So. What should I feed
my plants with. Something good, cheap, and that does not require too
much of time. Also, I can not afford waiting for the food next 6 monts
to be ready. It should be now because I have planted already
vegetables, and have watered them last couple of days.

Now here are the questions?

1. How frequently should I feed one e.g. tomato plant? 1 Corn Plant?
2. How much food should I give to it. 1 tablespoon? 1 quart?
3. When should I do it? In the morning? After coming from work?
Thanks a lot?



Yes, the mulch just goes around the base of the plant as far out as you
like - at least a foot. I also use it as a pathway between my raised
beds to extend the area and dissuade the slugs and snails. Mulch also
helps retain moisture, shades out weeds and keeps you from inadvertantly
splashing the soil on the leaves which can cause soil borne diseases to
affect the plants (like the tomatoes). It also keeps the soil warm in
cooler areas and at night.

As for food, you can pick up some basic Miracle Gro for Vegetables and
apply that according to the directions (I usually apply once a week or
every two weeks).

Miracle Gro is cheap (I think I paid $5 or $10 CDN for a box for the
season) and easy to apply. If you have only a few plants, it's just a
matter of putting the measured scopeful into a watering can and watering
the plants. Make sure you get the Miracle Gro for vegetables (it'll say
on the package and the numbers are something like 15-30-15). The general
purpose Miracle Gro is 10-10-10 I believe - better for the lawn than the
veggies. Don't worry about splashing the leaves as you water with the
stuff. It'll happily soak the nutrients in through the leaves.

There are other sources of "food" out there but the Miracle Gro will
ensure it gets all the nutrients, and given the price of gas, you'll
save money by not driving all over the place for the different
components. The free mulch is awesome cause that can get pricey for
larger gardens.

..

Zone 5a in Canada's Far East.