Sheet mulch for next year's veggie garden?
8 years ago
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- 8 years ago
- 8 years ago
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Requesting Details on Mulching Veggie Garden w/ paper & leaves
Comments (17)Many people will suggest removing the plants that grew there this year taking nutrients from your soil. These, now dead, plants can be composted, extra work, or can be left in place and covered with the paper and leaves to put those nutrients back into the soil they grew in. The shredded leaf mulches I put down in the fall usually are digested by August and the soil really needs more mulch, and some years I have some to put down while others I don't. If I do have mulch material I will add it but if I don't I don't get overly concerned about it. Shredded leaves will be digested by the soil bacteria sooner then whole leaves would, depending on the tree species, which means the whole leaf mulch will last longer but will not feed the soil as soon and whole leaves are known to keep some plants from growing if they cover them. I add compost to the mulch and do not concern myself with "fertilizer" since the compost and leaf mulches keep the soil in my garden well supplied with necessary nutrients, as periodic soil tests have shown....See MoreGardens for next year...or maybe the year after :)
Comments (9)My mom loves lasagna gardening, but I don't think it will work for me. The clay soil is so CLAY that the grass has roots at least 8" - 10" deep. When we take out the grass, we have sunken gardens we have to fill in with cartloads (like 20-30 each) of soil. Thank goodness, we can cheat and take it out of what was the pasture. Originally, the potager was going to be on a slight slope...not anymore LOL. The good thing is, this soil, mixed with the clay is going to make great garden beds. Old hay, aged manure and lots of clay...did I mention I have the "nephews" out helping every weekend haul dirt? They've been great, but I'm still running out of time to finish one big bed before I pick up my roses this weekend! Once the beds are in, planting is easy. I've got the bed in front of the porch done and the one under two small fruit trees. The two beds against the house for the fairy garden are done and just hauling dirt in the front bed. The two bigger beds in the fairy garden is all that's left to pull out grass...I'm so glad there's no grass in the future potager, or it would have to wait for next year. Once I finish "stealing" the dirt, it's a quick rototill and ready to layout beds :)...See MoreCan I Use Cypress Mulch & Newspaper in Tomato/Veggie Garden?
Comments (7)Newspaper is fine either shredded or used in multiple sheets overlapped in the lay out. Some pre-soak 4-5 sheets at a time, lay them out and then overlap them with the next 4-5 sheets. It's easier to get them wet before laying them down than after. Wood chip mulches don't generally belong in vegetable gardens as they can cause nitrogen binding issues. You'll find many discussions about this problem over on the Soil & Mulch forum. If you choose to use the cypress then as Bill suggested, it really needs to be raked aside and removed at seasons end, NOT tilled in. There are many really great veggie garden mulches available that not only keep down weeds but also improve the soil at the same time and any one of them is far better than any wood chip mulch - straw, hay, compost, leaf mold, chopped fall leaves, grass clippings, etc. Consider using your newspaper topped with one of them instead and save the cedar mulch for its purpose - decorative mulching in a flower bed. Dave...See MoreProbably giving up on veggies next year
Comments (8)Rita, thank you, but I'm not close to any of the Gainesville gardens and I don't have a car, so it would be pointless. Besides, trust me, the community gardens have just as much theft as I would here. SMC, yes, that would be great! There is a house down the road that has a huge, sunny back yard, and I've thought of asking them if I could garden there and share the food with them, but it's a rental, so maybe the landlord wouldn't allow it. Ah, well, Florida means "land of flowers," right, so flowers it is. I eat mostly corn, butterbeans, potatoes and carrots anyway, and they are pretty cheap. I guess I'll have to try making the trip to the farmer's market for my other stuff....See MoreRelated Professionals
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