There are so many options when it comes to mulching, so let’s sift through some of the natural mulches I like to use here on the farm! The mulches that I like to use on perennial areas of the garden are a bit different than the ones I like to use on the annual areas in that they have more longevity!
On the annual side of the garden, there are so many mulches to choose from it can get overwhelming, so I ranked the ones I use at the farm from least to most favorite and why! We also discuss why we no longer use landscape fabric as a mulch here at the farm and what we will be using instead!
At the end of the day, the best mulch may just be the one you have the most readily available to you, so think about what you have access to!
DO PINE NEEDLES MAKE SOIL ACIDIC? https://extension.unh.edu/blog/2019/10/do-pine-trees-pine-needles-make-soil-more-acidic#:~:text=A%20very%20common%20gardening%20myth,not%20determined%20by%20the%20tree.
oh! on another channel i saw a simple test for graz on! plant some legumes in the straw bale. if they die…
The one resource I have an abundance of is grass clippings. So far they've worked well for me.
i use chopped hay/straw, wood chips in many areas, leaf shreds , and also living mulch/groundcovers
Cover crop residue is brilliant! Never thought of that.
Thank you for another super video???? out here on the arid northeastern Co plains, mulch is a must. We use straw because it's readily available and it makes the soil really nice.
Hello, have you ever heard of mugwart? I don't know how but it has infested all my flower beds. Would you have any suggestions on how to get rid of it naturally? Thak, you!
Great info!!!
Hi, we use pea straw or sugar cane straw here in Australia. Great natural product and it doesn’t blow away. Bark or pine shavings I find too harsh in my garden and the black birds throw the bark all over the place. I heard bark takes a lot of nitrogen out of the soil to break down .
I have a spider mite problem, so leaves as mulch is a definite – Nope.
So that's why the colored "mulch" is cheaper than the real stuff!
Thank you for so much valuable info. I really look forward to your videos.
Have you ever used sunflowers? I've been making sunflower stalk mulch for about a year and its awesome. I grow dozens of giant black oil sunflowers, usually 3 successions through out summer. The leaves go into my compost, the seeds into a bird feeder or I toast em and press the oil. Then i dry the giant stalks inside my shed or on my porch so the don't get rained on. Once dry I run them thru a small mulcher. Wonderful stuff
I just got back from picking up a truck load of wood chips ???? The City of Tulsa operates a huge tub grinder to dispose of their resident's tree trimmings, and they are free to haul away (they will even load your truck and trailer for you, how nice!)
Curious why you don't like to use compost as an option?
Oh. You just answered my question. Thanks!