What do you use to mulch your vegetable plants?

[Aspen]

I didn't mulch last year. I think my garden would have done better if I had. I don't know what to use on my veggies. Mulch for flower gardens is pricey and I don't know if it has any unwanted chemicals.

Soooo, what do you all use? I want to really get into gardening successfully, for myself and my Alzheimer's residents. I am the director of an Alzheimer's Care Unit and I want to get a good gardening program going. I plan on building two raised beds to make the garden easy to reach. I am very excited about this project. I want to set up the gardens at work just like my gardens at home.

Can't wait to hear from everyone!

[plantoneonme]

Shredded newspaper, junk mail any other paper and grass clippings work great. For warm weather crops such as peppers and tomatoes, you want to mulch after the soil really warms up. Then mulch to keep in the moisture. Kim

[Aspen]

I had thought about shredded newspaper. I have a source for newspaper, several actually. And I don't even take the newspaper!

[ecogirl]

Bits of scrap papers and mowed up grass. Compost is great as well!

[new500]

Thanks for the idea. I really did not know we could us newspaper. That will save a bundle.

[Kevin]

Aspen, Down here the commercial growers use black plastic. The organic and small home growers use shredded leaves. The same leaves we would use in our compost piles . Be careful using wood chips as they may rob needed nitrogen from your soil. Good luck , Kevin

[MoniDew]

at my local garden supply, I asked for Patti's famous cocoa shell mulch. They looked at me like I had three heads. They suggested "no-float" cypress. From all the option they had, that looked to be about the best. I think I'm going to have to use that.

Too bad. I was looking forward to the heavenly smell of chocolate.

[gardengirl72]

Here is my cocoa and newspaper mulch video:http://blip.tv/file/1017775

[Cynthia]

if prepared commercial mulch is what you have, be sure to add some slow release organic fertilizer before mulching.

This year I am using some oak leaves that are about 1/2 decayed, straw, and some garden mulch that I bought last year. I also have some chipped cedar (juniper) mulch that needs to age another year before it is ready to go in the beds.

There is some local wisdom that says to mulch with materials that grow in the area.

[Cynthia]

To Plantoneonme:

Do you worry about the chemicals that are in processed paper being leached into the soil? I have a shredder and that would make a handy way to use the scraps.

[plantoneonme]

To Plantoneonme:

Do you worry about the chemicals that are in processed paper being leached into the soil? I have a shredder and that would make a handy way to use the scraps.

I don't use anything glossy or shiny. Our newspapers are made with soy ink so I don't worry about that. I do limit the colored papers but get a certain satisfaction about letting the worms turn the bills into poo :D I use any colored paper sparingly as mulch and compost the rest within reason. Kim

[MoniDew]

oooh, I didn't know about the robbing nitrogen. I suppose that applies to all wood chips, not just cedar, but cypress as well? ACH! I don't know what to do now...

[Kevin]

oooh, I didn't know about the robbing nitrogen. I suppose that applies to all wood chips, not just cedar, but cypress as well? ACH! I don't know what to do now...

Monica, Wether or not wood chip mulch ties up available nitrogen, is a pretty controversial issue among master gardeners and scientists around the country. Evidently there is quite a bit of evidence that at the mulch/soil interface a certain amount of nitrogen is tied up in the decomposition process of the chips. Suposedly the larger the chip, the longer it takes to decompose and hence the longer the nitrogen is tied up. Monica I don't really know for sure either way . But why put something in your soil that may last for several years and may or may not adversely affect your soil's fertility. It just makes more sense to me , to use faster decomposing shreaded leaves or compost as mulch. Good luck , Kevin

[Cynthia]

I will say I have used "fresh" sawdust with horrible results - really sickly plants. So my new rule is that freshly chipped mulch has to age 2 years before I am willing to put it in my garden. We cut a lot of cedar last spring and I'll start using it next year.

[gardengirl72]

Besides my favorite mulch, cocoa shells, I've also used salt marsh hay and I use shredded leaves any where the dogs are allowed to roam. Also in the past I got all of the wood chips from branches and trees my Arborist cut down. This was during the hard scape construction and it was more to have all of it hauled away so we had Chris put it thru a wood chipper on the spot.

[MoniDew]

Monica, Wether or not wood chip mulch ties up available nitrogen, is a pretty controversial issue among master gardeners and scientists around the country. Evidently there is quite a bit of evidence that at the mulch/soil interface a certain amount of nitrogen is tied up in the decomposition process of the chips. Suposedly the larger the chip, the longer it takes to decompose and hence the longer the nitrogen is tied up. Monica I don't really know for sure either way . But why put something in your soil that may last for several years and may or may not adversely affect your soil's fertility. It just makes more sense to me , to use faster decomposing shreaded leaves or compost as mulch. Good luck , Kevin

Alright, well, I was able to return the cypress mulch they sold me as a "substitute" for the cocoa hull I asked for. Now, I'm on the lookout for a true substitute. Any suggestions? (how about pecan hull? I think I can get that around here...)

Editing to add: I just did a quick search on organic mulches for vegetable gardens and, SURPRISE, came up with several NEGATIVE articles on cocoa hull mulch. Perhaps this is why Patti "cuts" hers with shredded newspaper....?

It appears that my pecan hull idea is sound, so I will go with that. Thank you for making me re-think and re-address this issue!

[Kevin]

Alright, well, I was able to return the cypress mulch they sold me as a "substitute" for the cocoa hull I asked for. Now, I'm on the lookout for a true substitute. Any suggestions? (how about pecan hull? I think I can get that around here...)

Editing to add: I just did a quick search on organic mulches for vegetable gardens and, SURPRISE, came up with several NEGATIVE articles on cocoa hull mulch. Perhaps this is why Patti "cuts" hers with shredded newspaper....?

It appears that my pecan hull idea is sound, so I will go with that. Thank you for making me re-think and re-address this issue!

Hey Monica, I hate to be the one that keeps busting your bubble , but . Pecan shells may be a major league mistake. It is a member of the juglans family . Using it in your soil may leave juglone toxin for years. Juglone wipes out any member of the nightshade family (tomatoes ,potatoes , peppers , eggplant) . It also wipes out anything in the cole family ( cabage ,cauliflour, broccoli , brussel sprouts ).Although juglone poisoning is more often associated with black walnut trees , it does to a lesser degree occur in pecans and bitternut hickorys. Sorry, Kevin

[Sinfonian]

Too bad there isn't a universal mulch option out there. All seem to have pros and cons. I've done well in my beds with just compost and close plant spacing. Sure it takes vigilence to pull new weeds that float on in, but they're easy when small and I never have to remove compost to plant.

Good luck finding one that meets your needs.

[Kevin]

Too bad there isn't a universal mulch option out there. All seem to have pros and cons. I've done well in my beds with just compost and close plant spacing. Sure it takes vigilence to pull new weeds that float on in, but they're easy when small and I never have to remove compost to plant.

Good luck finding one that meets your needs.

There is a universal mulch option. Don't use anything for mulch that you wouldn't use in your compost pile . Folks , Think leaves ,They are free . Kevin

[JudyH]

Well, I've used several of the things that have been discussed in this thread :D

First of all -- the cypress mulch.... I do still use it on things that will be growing for a long time like tomatoes, pole beans, brussel sprouts, etc. And I like the cypress mulch a good bit. But, I don't mix it in with the soil when I pull the spent plants up. I use my hands to rake the mulch aside and replant. Then I spread the mulch back around the new plant. If I plant seeds, well, then I just remove the mulch completely from that bed. So I feel like because I'm not "mixing" the mulch into the soil, I am not using it to break down and become part of the soil (if that makes sense).

On the leaves -- be careful using leaves for this reason -- SLUGS! They love wet leaves and hide in them during the day and then come out at night to munch on your veggies. Then when you go out in the morning, your veggies are full of holes but you don't see the culprit LOL If you suspect slugs, go out at night with a flashnight to see if they are munching on your veggies.

Hay/Straw -- I've seen Patti use this in her garden videos. This is my first year using it. And I have to say, so far so good. I'm just a little worried because the Hay/Straw that the feed store had has little dried seed pods on some of it. Now they have alphafa hay and when I go back I'll be buying it instead.

Now I haven't used the newspaper method yet. It looks pretty interesting though and I might be giving it a try.

My primary reason for mulching is not really to control weeds but to conserve water, especially in our hot, dry months.

[MoniDew]

Hey Monica, I hate to be the one that keeps busting your bubble , but . Pecan shells may be a major league mistake. It is a member of the juglans family . Using it in your soil may leave juglone toxin for years. Juglone wipes out any member of the nightshade family (tomatoes ,potatoes , peppers , eggplant) . It also wipes out anything in the cole family ( cabage ,cauliflour, broccoli , brussel sprouts ).Although juglone poisoning is more often associated with black walnut trees , it does to a lesser degree occur in pecans and bitternut hickorys. Sorry, Kevin


WOW!! Thank you so much for telling me, BEFORE I made ANOTHER HUGE MISTAKE! Since you've covered about 90% of what I grow, I'm going to stay away from the pecan hulls.

Maybe I'll just keep a watchful eye for weeds, like Sinfonian suggested, plant everything a bit closer together, and keep things cool with latticework or something, if it gets too hot this summer.

[Garden Addict]

I've always used grass clippings but this year i'll try the newspapers and since i have an over abundance of blueprints i'll try some of these in a few areas to see how they work. They are much thicker than newspaper and may hold up better and longer. I have also used black fabric in areas prior to planting to keep the weeds at bay until i till and plant. It also helps to warm the ground and lets rain water through.