Garden With Ernest

So, how do we use mulch in the vegetable garden? And what is the best mulch to use if you are growing edible plants?

There are a lot of different types of mulch available, and not all of them are suitable for the vegetable garden. However the principle of how to use mulch is the same, no matter which mulch you choose.

Use mulch to cover bare soil around your vegetables like a blanket, to shield and protect the soil, from the damaging effects of the elements and to smother out weeds.

How to use and apply mulch in the vegetable plot

1. Spread a layer of mulch around your vegetable plants. Aim for a thickness of 2-4 inches (5-10 cm) for most mulch materials. Be cautious not to pile mulch against the stems or trunks of plants, as it can cause rot.
2. Leave space around the stems: Create a small gap or “doughnut hole” around the base of each plant to prevent moisture from accumulating directly against the stem. This helps prevent rot and disease.
3. Replenish mulch as needed: Over time, mulch may break down or be washed away by rainfall. Check the mulch regularly and add more as necessary to maintain the desired thickness.

What are the best mulches to use in the garden to grow veg ?

Stone and gravel mulches may look pretty and do help keep moisture in the soil, but are of no real benefit in the vegetable patch.

Organic mulches are normally made from environmentally friendly waste materials and they break down into the soil. This adds nutrients that will feed your veg plants. So organic mulch is the best choice in the vegetable garden.

Advice on how to use organic mulches in the veg garden

Wood based brown mulches can deplete nitrogen as the decompose.

Brown mulch breaks down and uses up nitrogen in the soil. This can cause a shortage of nitrogen for growing plants. Seedlings and annual leafy vegetables need lots of nitrogen to grow well. 

Wood based, brown mulches are an excellent choice for the fruiting bushes and fruit trees in your vegetable garden.

How vegetables benefit from the use of green mulches

Green mulches, such as grass clippings, weeds, straw etc, are the best for perennial and annual vegetable plants. 

To clarify, mulch is broken down by either fungi or bacteria.

Brown wood base mulches are broken down into the soil by fungus, these fungi benefit shrubby plants and trees.

Bacteria feed on green mulch and decompose it. Vegetables grow better in a soil that is full of bacteria. This is because bacteria attach themselves to the root system of plants and stimulate and promote plant growth and health. 

Incredibly, not all mulches are made from waste material; some are alive!

How to grow living mulches in the veg patch

A living mulch serves the same purpose as any other kind of mulch. It suppresses weeds, helps to regulate soil temperature and reduces the need for watering.

For example, Comfrey grows quickly and when chopped down makes a great green mulch, which feeds the soil.

In a cottage style vegetable garden, a polyculture garden or a food forest, the plants do the mulching for you. Further more, this method is sustainable in the food garden.

Vegetable plants like companions

Plants can grow more successfully and with fewer pests and diseases with the assistance of companion planting. The gardener will ultimately gain because there will be less work required to produce more crops.

https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/10-companion-plants-to-grow/

Cover crops explained

Cover crops are another example of how you can use living mulches to improve and protect your soil. Fast-growing plants such as clover, winter field beans and mustard are ideal cover crops. These are also referred to as green manures. 

They are cut and left to drop then rot down, between crops. This method is known as “chop and drop” and is a strategy that is often used in a “No dig” garden .

Additionally, this technique benefits biodiversity, giving both food and shelter to many beneficial insects and worms.

Other benefits of living mulches

So to Clarify here’s how mulch builds a more sustainable garden and protects the soil .

Use mulch to protect the soil. The main sources of soil damage are wind, rain and sun. Bare soil compacts or washes away in the rain, and dries out quickly in the sun, killing nitrogen and microorganisms that are living in the ground. Bare soil is not sustainable. Use a layer of mulch to protect the soil, and the beneficial bacteria living in it.

Apply mulch to save water. A covering of mulch absorbs rainwater, releasing it slowly into the soil. This saves precious water in summer and helps to prevent water logging in winter.

Take advantage of living mulches, so cover bare soil with green manures and companion plants for a cheap and easy way to improve soil health.

Utilize mulch to insulate plant roots, mulch keeps the ground cool in summer and warmer in winter. 

Cover the earth with mulch to suppress weeds. Bare earth will not stay bare for long, so cover it, or nature will cover it for you.

Lastly organic based mulches improve soil structure and fertility and encourage biodiversity.

So in short, however you use mulch in the vegetable garden, it will help to protect your soil , and your garden will be a little greener.

I hope this article……

How to use mulch in the vegetable garden explained

……….. has been useful. Please leave a comment.