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When planning your fall gardening chores don't forget to lay down mulch.
Mulching reduces damage from hard freezes. Like a blanket, it holds in
the soil's heat, keeping your plants’ roots warm and alive. It's
protective matting also helps prevent erosion and exposure during
storms. And if that weren't enough, mulching improves your soil. It
provides a slow release fertilizer. It also helps to loosen the soil as
it's absorbed into the ground.
You can use almost any organic material as mulch. When making your selection, consider how well it protects and what it will add to the soil. The five most common mulch materials are hay, grass clippings, leaves, shredded tree bark, and compost.
Hay is a cheap, easy to find mulch. It decomposes quickly, adding
nitrogen to the soil. However, it often carries weed seeds with it. Use
hay with caution. You can use grass clippings from your lawn as a mulch. But keep in mind that weeds growing in the lawn may sneak their seeds into the clippings. Also freshly cut grass decomposes quickly and can heat up enough to damage plants.
Allow clippings to decompose and cool before spreading on your garden. Another popular mulch in wooded areas is shredded leaves. They're cheap and decompose at a reasonable rate. The down side is that they're also a favorite winter home for insects.
Shredded tree bark is a popular and attractive mulch. Where possible,
get bark from trees native to your area. These trees often have bark
with toxins that deter the local insects. Avoid barks from eucalyptus
and black walnut, which contain chemicals that deter plant growth. Pine bark is cheap but it floats away easily and takes a long time to break down.
Composted organic material is just about the best mulch you can use. It decomposes quickly, is an excellent source of nutrients, and doesn't
encourage fungus or insects. When properly prepared, it carries few weed seeds. Mulch does have one tiny drawback. It discourages self-sowing annuals, such as dill, cosmos, and caraway, from returning the following year. To correct this, pull back the mulch from self-sowing plants when they are setting seeds in late summer to early fall. Then recover the area after the seeds have dropped.
This fall, take pity on your garden and lay down a nice layer of mulch.
Come spring, both you and your herbs will be glad you did.
written by Ann McCormick
Visit her website at www.ann-mccormick.com
A Mulching We Will Go
The kiss of the sun for pardon,
The song of the birds for mirth,
One is nearer God's heart in a garden
Than anywhere else on earth.
~Dorothy Frances Gurney, "Garden Thoughts"
Plant radishes, beets and carrots when soil thaws, usually a few weeks before the last frost. Sow seed in rows or broadcast them. Gently press into soil, and keep moist.
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