Mulch Gardens

Mulching is a practice that can be applied to any garden. What you do is provide a ground covering among your plants of either organic or inorganic material. It has many advantages. And the type of soil in your garden will determine what kind of mulch you should use.

Organic mulch is composed of material that was once living. This includes grass clippings from lawns that have not been treated chemically, leaves, bark, pine needles, and straw. Inorganic mulch includes such things as plastic or carpeting. Whatever kind of mulch you use, it should not be placed in contact with the plant. In other words, don't mound it up around the plant, but rather let it look more like a bowl surrounding the plant.

One big advantage of using mulch is that it keeps weeds from growing in your garden. Other advantages include retention of moisture and regulation of soil temperature. In the case of organic mulch, you will also have the added bonus of providing nutrients to the soil as it decomposes. This will keep the soil light and airy. Mulch can also keep soil from being washed away by a heavy rain.

Before applying mulch, however, know what kind of soil you have. You do not want to use organic mulches over clay, as they could hold too much moisture. Using plastic over sandy soil will keep it from not getting enough moisture. Making some simple decisions about mulching your garden will give you more time to enjoy the results of your plantings.