MULCHING
With the heat of summer water becomes critical to the survival of your plants. Water is becoming a problem in many parts of our country. As our population increases, suburban areas are witnessing a building boom. Each additional living unit utilizes a lot of additional water and when you hit periods of dry weather, the reservoirs become depleted. In many areas there is just so much water to go around. Also water has become very costly. The smart thing for organic gardeners to do is to mulch their beds with organic mulch.
I visited my daughter in Northern California this past weekend and was depressed with the consequences of the drought. Most of the screening trees in her back yard have died. The beautiful flowers that had always surrounded the curving walk I designed were dead. I went out to a local Garden Center to purchase and plant flowering Vinca. Flowering Vinca is one of the best plants to withstand drought. I plant this on my family’s grave each year and hardly ever have to water.
Mulching has many advantages for your garden. Two inches of mulch tremendously reduce your water needs, saving on your water bill. If you hand water it saves you a tremendous amount of time. Two inch mulch eliminates weeding which also saves time or money if you contract this chore out. It saves the water that weeds rob from the soil. Aesthetically it makes your property look neat and clean. A beautiful neat clean place benefits you psychologically. Organic mulch as it breaks down adds tremendous nutritional value to your soil. The microbes that break down your mulch help to develop a robust food web in the soil. We are following nature’s ways when everything from the earth goes back into the earth. Mulching prevents erosion and allows water to penetrate the soil moistening it in the immediate area. Mulching is probably one of the best things you can do for your garden.
Mulching became common practice in our area after the droughts of the 80’s. Tremendous water restrictions stymie many gardeners. But the true gardeners found a way around them. They set up rain barrels to save whatever water they could from their roof run off when thunder showers passed through. Save Water for a sunny day was the cry from rain barrel enthusiasts. . They used grey water from their washing machine, dish washer and their daily showers and baths. But most importantly they mulched their beds. For traditional mulching we recommend a 2” depth but in a drought we increase the thickness to 3 inches. During the drought of the Eighties I saw some of the most beautiful flower gardens ever. Without a lot of overhead water and adequate moisture retained in the ground the flowers flourished. Ever since then mulching has become a popular item in the maintenance of our gardens.
Mulching is a good investment and will save you time, money and work. It will save water which could become a crucial problem for us this year. It is one of the best garden tips I can provide you with.
