MULCH

Reduce your workload by using mulch:

• Mulch retains moisture in the soil

• It keeps the soil from over-heating

• Mulch prevents erosion and improves soil structure

• Mulch feeds the soil as it breaks down

• Mulch can reduce the spread of fungal disease spores

• Mulch can create habitat for soil dwelling predators, eg ground beetles and centipedes

Different mulches should be selected for different areas of the garden. Native bark or pine mulches are useful under native shrubs, but may retard the growth of sensitive, exotic plants. Straw or grass hay mulches are used in the vegetable garden.  Pebble or stone mulches are useful in dry areas.

Reduce your reliance on purchased mulch and the danger of bringing in weed seeds, by growing your own. Aim for a sustainable system where all the inputs you need to successfully garden are produced on-site. Shrubby, nitrogen-fixing plants such as lucerne, tree lucerne/tagasaste and pigeon pea can be cut regularly. Lush, fast growing plants such as arrowroot, lemongrass and vetiver provide abundant supplies of mulch and are very useful weed barriers to keep out running grasses.

In orchards cover crops provide a living carpet of perennial plants. This ‘living mulch’ of low-growing legumes can provide many advantages, especially compared to grass, which aggressively competes with your fruit trees for water and nutrients.

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