How do you mulch your vegetable garden?

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March 21, 2017, 12:18 AM

Dallas239

How do you mulch your vegetable garden?

Expanding the vegetable garden this year to about 20' x 20'. Not huge, but big enough. In previous years I've used shredded cypress mulch, put it down after tilling the soil and just clear out small holes for planting. With the bigger garden, I'm looking for potentially cheaper solutions. What's everyone else using?

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March 21, 2017, 12:25 AM

old rugged cross

We are in a different part of the country. I bag leaves and keep them over the winter. About now, or april. spread them out and till them in. Do the planting about six weeks later. Been doing it for years. A very fertile garden year in and year out.

"Practice like you want to play in the game"

March 21, 2017, 02:26 AM

SapperSteel

I use well-aged cow manure and straw. I dump a couple of 2-1/2 yard front loader bucketfulls on the garden, then till it in before planting.

March 21, 2017, 05:16 AM

msfzoe

My vegetable garden is 50 x 50.
In the Spring, I use a 5 horse tiller to amend the entire garden with 200-400 lbs of chicken manure.
Seeds and plants go in the ground around Memorial Day in rows 30" apart.
Rather than mulch, I use a small tiller to keep the weeds in tow.
Moisture is provided by a rotary sprinkler head, mounted 8' off the ground.
It is located in the center of the garden.
Used straw as mulch several years ago.
Unsatisfactory as it provided a home to numerous vermin that devoured the root crops.

March 21, 2017, 05:22 AM

45 Cal

Be careful what you try to mulch with.
I only use maple leaves.
Sweet gum,pecan,most oaks, pine straw are toxic to your plants.
This is what I have observed over the decades.
I organic garden for probably forty years.
Wheat straw bales break down in one season if kept wet.

edit,I have St Augustine grass and all summer long the clippens goes in gardens.

March 21, 2017, 11:31 AM

mark_a

In many areas you can call the tree trimming folks and they will be happy to come dump a load of mulch in your driveway.

Keeps them from having to pay to dump it.

Mark

March 21, 2017, 12:24 PM

cruiser68

quote:
Originally posted by Dallas239:
It sounds like most aren't using anything on the surface. How do you keep out weeds?

For weeds I put down brown craft paper from rolls. Thick enough to keep weeds from popping up and in the fall it gets tilled into the garden.

March 21, 2017, 12:56 PM

old rugged cross

Weeds are one of the joys of gardening. If they are a big issue than gardening isn't for you.

"Practice like you want to play in the game"

March 21, 2017, 07:36 PM

Graniteer

I use the Garden/Landscape fabric. Keeps weeds out, moisture in, warms the soil, and keeps neighborhood stray cats from pooping next to the zucchini.

Fabric: https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod...00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Staples to hold in place: https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod...00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

March 21, 2017, 07:46 PM

bryan11

In the midwest, I mulch fall leaves and grass clippings and cover the garden in the fall. Anything extra and all kitchen waste goes in a compost pile.

In the spring, I remove the mulch from the garden,add some rich black soil from the compost pile, cover all of it with newspaper, and put the mulch back on top. The newspaper acts like a weed blocker and the mulch keeps the soil moist. By fall, the paper is mostly gone or ready for the compost pile.

March 21, 2017, 08:33 PM

Zecpull

Newspaper works well.
As does the black plastic or cloth that is weed barrier..
I would never use Tree company chipper dump.. in my garden.. You may be adding Poison Ivy.. or other toxic to your plants items.

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March 21, 2017, 09:18 PM

Dallas239

quote:
Originally posted by Zecpull:
Newspaper works well.
As does the black plastic or cloth that is weed barrier..
I would never use Tree company chipper dump.. in my garden.. You may be adding Poison Ivy.. or other toxic to your plants items.

Does the weed cloth drain well enough to be used alone without water pooling?

March 21, 2017, 09:57 PM

dwright1951

Back when I had a large garden I first put down several thicknesses of newspaper, then I wet it down and covered it with several inches of leaves.