S15 E1: Mulching Magic: Unlocking the Secrets to a Thriving Garden
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- Опубліковано 16 чер 2024
- We're BACK to kick off Season 15! Today I'm sharing the thing that is saving my life in the garden this year... That's right, we're talking MULCH!
Join me for a deep dive into the best mulching materials, how to choose the right mulch for your homestead, organic vs. plastic mulches, what I think of the Back to Eden method, and more.
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My garden story on using contaminated hay: www.theprairiehomestead.com/2...
Details on how I'm fixing my tainted soil: www.theprairiehomestead.com/2...
Learn more about using cover crops here: www.theprairiehomestead.com/2...
Check out my Instagram reel on cutting down cover crops and planting tomatoes: / c6jyfunrybt
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I have mulched with so many different things, it’s total chaos. I live in the high desert of New Mexico. Most of the traditional mulches listed aren’t available or are very expensive. So I use what I have- chopped tumbleweeds, snakeweed, saltbush cuttings, etc. I’ve also used dog fur (those two boys shed a lot!) and turkey feathers. Feed bags. Packing paper. If I have plants I need to keep critters away from, I mulch with prickly pear cactus pads or mesquite cuttings. Then add some of that dog fur for the scent. Really, almost anything can be mulch. Get creative and use what is around you. If I can find mulch in the desert, anyone can.
Haha, I've come to the same thing here in Colorado. I figured if I'm gonna have weeds anyway, I'll make them work for me. I mowed down tumbleweeds and whatever was growing in the field and started a compost bin with it! I have one area I try to keep mowed and from going to seed. I use those clippings directly in the garden. Haven't tried fur or cactus though.
The actual podcast (about mulches) starts at the 17 minute)
Thank you!
FYI The addition of a sprinkle of granular vitamin c in a couple cups of tap water neutralizes chlorine instantly. Lots of info on the net. My grass clippings stay on the lawn to feed the lawn. My favourite mulch for the veg garden is hay/straw. I need to check which it is. Get bales from a local nursery and have never had a seed problem. In my hot humid climate I apply it twice a year because everything breaks down very fast. I put homemade compost down first then top it with the straw/hay. Have only household/yard inputs in my compost, never animal manure, so don’t have to worry about what the animals have eaten. I do compost dog waste (have 3 dogs) separately and use it in the front yard flower beds. The perennial beds mainly get masses of oak leaves. Also make leaf mold from surplus leaves. Self-chipped branches/sticks go on veg garden paths. Working towards a zero input, zero output yard. Happily I have not had a weed problem in either type of garden. ☺️
Love your solo episodes. Love what you’re doing, love learning from you, love the way you think & do things. You’re one of the people I keep in my prayers. You’re busy, busy, so I want to support you with good vibes & prayers. Sleep well at night. You’re doing life right.💛
Thank you Jill! Have a fantastic day! God bless you and your family!❤️
Mulch for the win! I love how they feed the soil. Another pro for mulch: keeps soil cooler than black soil. I find my black soil fries my new plant starts if I don’t mulch them immediately after planting. Will even use a thin layer of saw dust or pine shavings from our brooder to reflect some light when waiting for seedlings to emerge. I’ve always wanted to try quintessential straw in the strawberry patch but have been too afraid of the weed seeds!
I have used pie pans of beer (cheapest - I don't drink!) for slugs and snails with Great Success! The pans fill up with them!
I learn from your demo vids, such as weedwacking down a cover crop - I did this to clear an area of the lawn to grow food! Saved me a lot of digging, still had to do some but So Much easier! Thank you, Jill. God's best blessing, JJ & Service Dog Ruth
Thank you
Mulch starts at 11:30
Great overview. I learned a lot! Thank you. Val C❤️🙏🏻
I use over-wintered, Fall mowed leaves. Place that over roll out paper mulch. Then garden thru that. I also use triple shredded wood chips over fabric mulch. I don’t plant thru that. It’s just for walking and my cucumber vines to grow on.
The paper mulch, triple shredded wood chips, and leaves all disintegrate and become part of the soil at the end of the season. I can reuse the fabric for maybe 2-3 years. And I’m not stuck with the same hole pattern since I don’t cut and plant into it.
I also just use triple shredded wood chips around the bare soil seeded row plants when they get bigger - like onions, leeks, beets, okra, corn. It’s a lot like decomposed wood chips.
It’s an expense. But saves me time and effort on weeding and watering. You only need ~2-3 inches. Just enough to hold the roll out mulches down and darken the sunlight below.
Great info! Are leaves not also high Carbon?
I'm in Colorado and had the same slug issue after using straw. I think they are just already in the soil and come up when conditions are right. Either that or it came in on a store plant or the straw.
I just dealt with the nightmare of seeds in the straw mulch I put down about 2 weeks ago before we went out of town. We came back yesterday and there was soooo much growing in the mulch. I used straw last year and had very little “volunteer” growth. We live in a Ponderosa Pine tree forest so I have an abundance of pine needles. I’ve used them as mulch before but didn’t really like them because of what you mentioned, they are pokey! They don’t call them needles for nothing!! Today I removed as much of the straw as I could. I’m going to buy some bagged mulch from a local nursery this week because that’s pretty much my only option this year since we had all our pine needles taken away early in the spring, as soon as the snow melted! Next year I will be using my free pine needles. I’ll just have to learn to wear gloves!!
The straw is simply sprouting more mulch. I just grab it and turn it over to die. You can also leave them out in the rain to season for next year. The balls will be sprouted and old by then.
I used hay for the first time this year to try the Ruth Stout method of growing potatoes. I've got more growth from the weeds than from the potatoes. Bit of a surprise. I've got 2 bales left and am leaving them to decompose a bit before I use them. There are other things I want to try and will probably use them for those projects.
I live in an area of LOTS of oak trees. Have tons of leaves. Everywhere. I'm going to purchase one of those leaf shredders and give that a shot this year.
Thanks for the info!
I have lots of oak leaves also. I bought a metal large trash can and a weed eater. Put dry leaves in the can and whiz them up with the weed eater. Wear eye and ear protection. The leaves get cut up into small sizes and it really works.
@@michellecjackson4956 Great idea! Thanks!
Ah…hay has seeds in it….need to use wheat straw not hay.
I don't have free or cheap access to any of those things in a large enough quantity foe the size of my garden 😢. I really want to mulch though...the weeds are insane in my garden.
I have many thoughts and questions.
Curious why u r recommending Aquatru instead of Berkey? Does it do a better job, or less cost??
Also I have burned my young cabbage starts by over mulching with fresh green grass clippings. It was 100% my fault for going too close and using way too much, I learned my lesson.
But I LOVE. Grass clippings! They r a free resource for me as I have a huge lawn, and I will always use them as my first choice, next is wood chips. Problem with wood chips is I am at the mercy of will I get them when I need them.
This was a fun topic to listen to, learn more about ur thoughts and I am going to try the cover crop method for my garden this winter.
Do you have problems with carpenter ants or termites when using wood chips? That is always my concern about using them.
How do you water with 6-8” of mulch? I use wheat straw from trusted source. I find in my high altitude central CO garden that I can't get the water to go thru the mulch if it's even an inch deep. The straw is wet and the soil is still dry.
I lay a drip hose underneath the mulch
prefer videos
OH! At the 3:40 mark, do Shorts on your roping and horsemanship. There's horse people in your viewership already. Or show a quickie at the end of your videos; and do credits, people thanks, etc.
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