So the philosophy of gardening that I follow insists one should keep the soil covered from the sun, mirroring Mother Nature. Keeps the organisms in the soil happier and healthier and alive if they aren't exposed directly to the sun. Makes sense to me. It's worked well for some time now, except.....
Here is my issue - bugs, like asparagus beetles and cucumber beetles like to winter in said "litter" under the plants. My garden currently has both bugs.
I will be getting some nemotodes, as soon as my pocketbook allows for the purchase. Releasing 1500 Ladybugs and picking, picking, picking is what I've done so far.
I am currently mulching with lawn clippings and leaves but that is no longer working for me since my lawn is mostly weed like dandelion, sorrel and plantain and so I am therefore planting them in my garden by using the "lawn" clippings as mulch. As much as I love those plants, I have enough of them outside the garden to not need them where I am trying to grow cucumber! I am looking into getting some wood chips (from tree removal, not pure chip, but different sized chip, if you know what I mean)
So - What do you mulch with? How's it working out for you?
What's the problem with the spiders and crickets? Just curious. I used a straw I bought for helping with wetness in the chicken run in the spring. It had seed (duh) and sprouted next to my veggies.
When I had the big garden in production I used cardboard and newspaper under the grass clippings. The seeds got dried out before they came in contact with the soil.
I used cardboard and newspaper too, on my paths but somehow some weeds creep up! Never thought about using it between plants.
On my paths, which will always be paths, I used some old clothing. Figured it was about the same as garden cloth.
When I had the big garden in production I used cardboard and newspaper under the grass clippings. The seeds got dried out before they came in contact with the soil.
I use straw also. I tried grass clippings but they tend to just turn into a soggy, stinky matted mess over time. I've love to use leaf mulch, we just don't have any deciduous trees to get leaves from.
We put down weed barrier covered with wood chips for the walkways. I'll still have to pull a weed here and there occasionally, but they come up really easily because they're only rooted in wood chips and not soil.
Tried straw,(most expensive option here)cardboard,wood shavings, grass clippings. It just gave a nice home for the voles,mice, and baby rabbits to live. Now I use what they call plastic mulch (heavy landscape fabric). Way easier on weeding and the critters still make burrows under it but is not as warm and snugly as the other options. Probably helps now that I have about three good size garden snakes that I see every morning moving from bed to bed as I am trying to weed and water.
I used to use pine needles (pine straw) in AZ. Worked well for mulch. Here there's too many mosquitoes. They seem to thrive in the moisture of the pine needles with this humidity. I now use stuff from my compost pile.
Once my kids and I were out hunting lightning bugs. I had flashed my flashlight beam across the garden and saw something really bright and shiny. Of course we all had to know what it was so we looked under the compost and mulch for the shiny reflector. There was a little tunnel into a bit of compost so I dug it out. A huge monstrous hairy dark spider jumped out at us. We all screamed like little girls and ran away from it. I don't go digging up bight reflectors in the garden anymore.
Thanks somehow all of post didn't come through, I have recently been collecting compost from under aged logs and mixing into the soil. Should have test results from the extension service soon and will know the truth.
The carbon to nitrogen ratio of logs is usually about 100:1. so for each 100 lbs. (dry weight) of log, you'll get a pound of nitrogen--if it hasn't leached out of the soil during the long decomposition process. If you gather leaves, green stems, grasses, legumes, and manures, you'll get lots more for your efforts.
I've used lots of different things - black plastic, shredded wood, wood chips, straw, spoiled hay. I used spoiled hay in small areas of a shared garden over the past couple of years. It really improved the soil and the rest of the garden (unmulched) got filled with weeds while the hay mulched area was pretty weed free. It seems to work better than anything else I've used and it's really easy to put down. It's not slippery like straw.
I pick up usef wood shaving bedding from local horse farm. It's free and saves them money having to have hauled away. Easy enough to shake out the manure which goes into the compost. The shavings look nice which keeps the prissy neighbors from complaining & smoothers the weeds...free, effective, nice looking....win all the way around...
Well it's all good I received a letter from the extension service today with soil test results. The only thing I have to do is add lime to bring the pH up. All other results were acceptable. Planning on adding lime and having a good season.
Planning on a layer of thick much, so far the weeds in the beds are easy to pull. Onions are coming along nicely. Will research toad and snake shelter's.
I don't know what other people use but I have set up bricks and rocks to create shelters, you just need to have a place for the critters to get out of the sun. I dig down in the dirt and set a couple biggish rocks or bricks on the sides and another one or two over the top for a roof then pull dirt back up on the sides and back. You are making a little cave with a dirt floor. Some plans I have seen use clay flower pots that have cracked or broke. If you have at least half of the clay pot just scoop out a dip in the ground, put the pot over it and push soil back around the sides and back. The important thing is to have an opening and a larger underground space. I have heard of placing solar lights near the shelters to attract low flying insects but I don't know how well it works. I also will not guarantee that you won't get very large spiders moving into your little "caves".
Snake and toad shelters could even be a pile of fallen leaves laying in a hollowed out dip in the ground. That's where I found 4 snakes over the weekend.
Before my raised beds when the kids were trying to eat us from house and home the big garden I ran the tiller thru it about 2 twice a week. then next day used a long handle 3 time cultivator to go between the plants
Today I use raised beds, I grow twice as much from my 3 4'x8' beds and so easy to keep weeds down too.
No more except wild life planting will be grown on space wasteing gardening.
On our homestead in the Ozarks there's many downed hollow logs and many rock s also no shortage of leaves. So small shelter's are easy to put together.
Hollowed log homes would be fantastic. I didn't think of that material because I don't have any hollow logs here.
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