If you love your lawn and garden, you’ve probably made friends with mulch. And who could blame you? Mulch has a lot of benefits for your garden and its soul — not to mention making everything pop. If you haven’t yet learned to use mulch to its fullest, here’s how.
1. Water Savings
Mulch allows water to penetrate the soil, while reducing evaporation in hot, sunny weather. But for this purpose, not all mulch is created equal. Organic mulches are best for allowing water in (think of pine needles or straw), but any mulch (organic or not) will help keep evaporation to a minimum.
2. Nutrient Contribution
Mulching with organic matter, such as leaves, pine needles, or compost will add nutrients, good bacteria, and more to the soil as they decompose over time. Every year, try mulching your veggie garden with 1 to 2 inches of quality, weed-free compost. And don’t use black plastic if you want water and nutrients to get through.
3. Weed Prevention
Many gardeners use mulch primarily for its ability to keep weed numbers down. Bark or wood chips are great for this application, as is straw, long as you get them from a reliable, weed-free source.
4. Temperature Regulation
Mulch can protect your soil from excessive summer heat or stark fluctuations in temperature. For example, dark mulches can help keep soil warm in early spring, but can also protect it from overheating later in the season.
5. Erosion Prevention
If you’re worried excessive rainfall or direct irrigation could make soil erode away, a good layer of mulch can save the day — and your soil depth.
Enjoyed this article. Going to give it a try as have new garden shed. Love the pallet idea.