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How To Choose The Right Mulch For Vegetable Garden
Mulch is the material used for covering the surface of the soil, so that weeds and diseases can be controlled. It conserves moistures, and maintains the temperature of the soil. It also helps in enriching the soil using organic matter, so that the overall look of the garden would be good.Using Mulch For Vegetable Garden
Using mulch in a vegetable garden is very important, because it helps control weeds. Even though people put mulch on soil in flower gardens, they ignore doing the same in a vegetable garden. This is because, when a vegetable garden is dug and planted each year, the mulches can become heavy for the gardener, and increase their work load; EZ Straw.Why Mulch A Vegetable Garden?
Controlling weeds is not the only thing that mulch does; it has many other benefits as well. Mulch prevents water evaporation, and if the gardener applies a thick layer of it on the vegetable plants, then that would keep the soil moist. This can be especially helpful during drought conditions or summer. This also means that the gardener doesn’t have to water the plant frequently.Mulching a vegetable garden would keep the soil and the roots of the plants, cooler. This way, during the summer, the plants would become too hot or damaged. When they don’t become hot, then that decreases the chances of pests and diseases attacking the plants. If the gardener uses organic mulches, then that would add nutrients to the soil. It will also improve the quality of the soil, and make the garden look fresh and well kept. Also go and check out the indoor vegetable garden – click here for more.
Types Of Mulch For A Vegetable Garden
There are different types of mulch that can be used in a vegetable garden. Hardwood mulch can get heavy, when the gardener is digging the vegetable garden after a year ends. Some of the most commonly used mulch are hay, grass clippings, newspaper, sawdust, pine needles, leaves and compost.Organic mulch comes from materials like needles and grass clippings. Gardeners use grass clippings, because they decompose at a quick rate, and then produce nitrogen, which provides growth to plants. Pine needles increase the level of acidity in garden soil, and they even stay put during a heavy rainfall. They are used in sloped gardens, and they don’t break down as quickly as other mulch options do; FibreDust.
There are inorganic mulches available as well, for vegetable gardens. These inorganic mulches include black plastic, landscape fabric (slows weed growth) and newspaper. Newspaper can control weeds, and is an easily available product.
Tips To Mulch A Vegetable Garden
The best time to mulch a vegetable garden is before the weeds have time to establish in the garden. To give the best result, add a 2-3 inches deep layer of mulch. If the mulch is less than 2 inches, then it won’t stop the weed from growing.When mulching, it is best to use natural and organic materials, so that they will break down faster compared to the heavier types of mulch.