How to Mulch Your Garden
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 ก.ค. 2024
- Mulching your garden is one of the best things you can do. Organic garden mulch has many benefits for your plants and for the garden environment. Gardener Scott shows how he mulches a garden and discusses the benefits of organic mulch. (Video #179)
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I use pine needles and pinecones. Even in my containers. Keeps the neighbors cats from using my yard as a litter box. Also keeps the slugs away. Free is good too.
I use rabbit bedding. It's really inexpensive and breaks down every season. It is small enough to allow seedlings to get through even if they get covered up a bit.
For those of you that have bermudagrass lawns like I do, don't do grass clippings. You'll regret it. Excellent video.
I just heard about Bermuda grass yesterday, does it really re-root if you use it for mulching?
I don't know about rooting, but if it's seeding when you cut it, you'll be sowing the seed.
I'm always running out of mulch! Can't have too much
Look up chip drop in your area. It is a free service for you call Mama it is where all of the tree services take and Shred up all of the limbs and trees from the power lines and other services that they have to remove. Get on their list and they will be glad to deliver them to you for free. You just have to have an area for them to dump 15 to 30 yards worth of wood chips for you. You can also request logs if you have a fireplace as well. I think if you do this you should never run out of wood chips.
Always look forward to your videos.
Good ideas on the mulch. Looking forward to your future videos on how you use the increased space you have.
Thanks for replying
Gardener Scott. I appreciate you!👍
Thank you I'm going to use your advice and I'll get back to you on it .
Have a nice evening
Good mulch video, this season I have used wood chips, straw, grass clippings, and even compost.
I make do with a balcony for the time being, but mulching is ingrained in my gardening, so I mulch my flower pots. I use the pruning clippings and deadheading that I would otherwise throw away. I loved watching your wildlife as you talked, the bird going in and out of the box-nest during the 'weeks earlier' segment, the squirrel on the fence at the back around minute ten, a bee flying around... :)
My hubby is bringing me a pea straw bale this weekend!
Now THAT'S a husband! He knows how to treat a lady!
@@hugelpook A video of how I use my pea mulch coming to my channel soon!
Great video lots of my queries answered thank you from n Ireland ☘️☘️☘️☘️
My neighbour worried I could get mad for the little grass clippings their lawnmower threw through the fence into my garden and onto my crops.
I told her I wouldn't even mind if she threw a little more of the good stuff my way, since it'll add to my anyway heavily mulched garden!
Also helped keeping snails busy with something else than my seedlings until I get to collect them in the evening.
Hope you're doing well and keep up the good content!
Greetings from Germany
I use the old hay from my hay barn as mulch. Thanks Scott.
I have been using wood chips in my pathways in my garden for three years. I really like the results. It keeps the weeds down and I never get muddy.It also helps with keeping the soil moist.
Thanks for this clarification, I have gotten into mulches the last years and had confusion over mulching young plants, I also like the idea of mixing the straw, leaves and grass! Thankyou!
Very cool video. I use pine needles with my strawberry plants and they grew awesome.
I use them around veggies as well... great stuff. Never thought I would go out looking for pine needles, but they’re better than straw / hay.
We purchased a 40 acre farm on the plains east of Denver. The previous owner had a couple of cows years ago and left a huge bale of hay. It’s been perfect, and FREE, to mulch my gardens! No issues with seeds as it had been sitting so long. Zone 5b also so your channel is perfect for me!
Thank you again so much for sharing your knowledge this is very helpful I bought organic natural bark mulch and straw
Lynn Thorsteinson, Sunshine Coast, B.C. Over the years, i've bought Alfalfa bales and run it over with a lawn mower......breaks down easily and has way fewer weeds than Straw. Sometimes mix this with ready to use compost. Enjoy your videos, thank you Scott!
Wood chips are my favorite! I place them over cardboard in pathway areas and have no weeds. Will probably do the same over the winter in my unused beds. The worms love it!
Great advise! I use mulch everywhere. I use grass, leaves and straw in the harden but also wood chips on large plants, bushes and trees.
If you are looking for free wood chips and are not picky, ask your local tree trimmer. I asked and had a whole dump truck of wood chips in my driveway in a matter of days. I still had to pick through and take out twigs and any big chunks (good for a fire) but it was free! We have this on our path in our garden between the raised beds and no weeds can be found. Even the dogs like to lay on the chips in the shady part of the paths.
I mulch with the free wood chips I get from the town. It's fantastic! The chips are all different sizes, and are already starting to break down when I get them. I spend MAYBE five minutes a week weeding, and rarely have to water the garden anymore. The plants love it, I love it, the earthworms love it, and I tell every new gardener I meet to mulch, mulch, mulch. Once you think you have enough added, add some more.
Great video Mr Scott !!
Keep it up, we are almost there 👉 👉 150K.
Nice one again Scott, thanks from Down-Under.🦘🥑💚🍋🥦🍊🌽🥕🍓🍅🍅🌶🍉🆗
We heavily direct sow onto new garden beds through the finest layer of grass clippings, and when things start coming up too close together, we eat any leaves that are shading out other things, usually supporting the more delicious plants. This way, it doesn't matter which things grow, it will be enough.
Thanks for doing this video. I have been using all 3 in the garden with strange looks. Lol. I mulch down the straw to a finer material. Btw thanks for all your video I have learned a lot more about gardening.
How do you make the straw finer?
I run it thru a leaf mulcher
I also have plenty of free leaves, pine straw and grass clipping for mulching. I also use the leaves and grass clippings for composting. Never ever use grass clippings for mulching or composting that have been treated with herbicides, well unless you like dead plants.
I have a large pine tree and for 5 years I used the dead needles that fall every year as mulch in one of my gardens and one of my raised beds, because another channel told me that they do not make the soil acidic. Well, plants never grew that well in those areas except for green beans. After 5 years I was convinced it was the pine needles. So I removed the pine needles and the next season afterwards things went back to normal. I never got a soil test so I can't say if they made my soil acidic, but the pine needle mulch certainly did have some negative effect on my soil (I never turned/tilled it in BTW, only laid on top of the soil). I'll never use them again.
Pine mulch also has another negative effect: in my area, it attracts rabbits to the beds as they like to make nests in a bed with pine needle mulch (as well as straw mulch).
I use exclusively thick grass mulch now (6-8 inches deep) because I have no leaves (the leaves that are available to me are poisoned by my local government - that's another long story). While it is true that thick grass can become matted to the point where water will run off and not penetrate, it's only temporary - I just hydrate it by watering it close with my spray nozzle for about 5-10 seconds and after that the hydrated grass will then accept water without runoff.
Also, rabbits have never put nests in beds with grass mulch. I think once it gets matted down (which happens rather quickly), they do not prefer it as a nesting site (even though they can easily borrow through it).
Pine needles do not make soil acidic, but are very effective at blocking light and water and can hinder seed germination. They take a very long time to break down and release nutrients so they don't enrich the soil as well as other mulches. My rabbits like the pine needles too,
@@GardenerScott I believe, from my experience that they do in fact do something to the soil which is negative for at least some crops. But I have no scientific proof, only evidence in practice.
I planted a new row of asparagus this year in the center of my smallest raised bed (3 1/2' by 6 1/2'). I also planted a row of new strawberries along one side of the same raised bed. Then to top it all off, I planted two rows of beans (!) along the other side of that same raised bed. All were mulched with a combination of last years leaves and fresh lawn cuttings about 4" - 5" deep. So, while the beans are heavy feeders, they will be done soon. The strawberries are eagerly sending new runners out across from the side, and the asparagus is coming up wherever it wants. After a couple more years I will relocate the strawberries. By then the asparagus will have fully-developed. In short, everybody is happy.
There is much debate about using grass clippings as mulch and in compost. I use my own because I know it hasn’t been treated with any pre emergent chemicals to suppress weeds. I won’t use any other unless I personally know the source. The last thing I need is to have those chemicals leach into my garden and wipe everything out.
I had been using grass clippings as well as lots of leaf compost that's in the ravine next to my neighbor's property. They said get I could have as much as I want. Today I spread out a bunch of the chopped straw that I got for my chickens. Just looked at the label and it does say that it may contain seeds, so I guess I'll find out if they sprout when the time comes. Oh well. : )
All straw will have some weeds in it, it's unavoildable.
Received a free load of pine tree and needles that were run through the chipper . Maybe seven yards worth. Have begun spreading in pathways among six in-ground beds each 4'.12'. Twenty one wheelbarrow loads at 4-6" deep. Have plenty of wood chips for sure. More isles and pathways. Question is can I apply thin layer in the perennial flower beds? Not to concerned about pH getting affected??
Good stuff Scott. Using grass clippings for seedlings is one I’ve never thought of. I waste nothing. I’ve even found a good use for live oak leaves. Can’t compost them, shouldn’t use them to mulch a garden bed, Worms in my worm bin won’t touch them, but as a pathway mulch.. they are fantastic. What ever chemical that’s in them that inhibits plant growth works like a charm in weed suppression. Oh btw... unfinished compost also makes an excellent mulch for a veggie bed especially in the spring. Also living mulching should also be considered
I never had a problem with oak leaves. I grind them up with a lawn mower and compost them with what ever other leaves I have on hand. I leave them compost for about eight months until they break down and use them as a mulch.
@@carolparrish194 live oak is an evergreen. It’s not the same as a regular oak tree
I save cardboard all year it goes under my straw helps a lot with weeds
Finally got my bedding plants in the raised beds last night. (We FINALLY have about 5 good weather days in a row for a change in zone 6b). I did plant a few radish seeds. I am going to mulch with straw tonight. Should I put it over the spots where the radish seeds are too? Or should I wait until the sprout?
I wait for them to sprout so the seedlings are exposed to sunlight right away.
Using straw, which I learned from you in a previous video, is saving my garden from the windy, dry, hot climate we live in. Thanks!! Question about your peas: the bush variety I planted stopped producing, and the stems are drying out from the bottom up. I think it's just too hot with the constant high nineties. When is a good time to replant for fall harvest?
It probably is too hot. I replant about two months before the first frost.
"Oh, you've got to mulch... you've got too!" -K.K.
The information you share is very much appreciated.
Do you know if glass clippings from under a black walnut could hinder the growth of my vegetables?
They shouldn't. The juglone from the walnut shouldn't transfer with the grass.
@@GardenerScott Thanks for the speedy reply.
👌
I use dried leaves!
Recently, I went to a local tree removal company and got all of the wood chips that I could get for free. Now it's so much easier to take care of my garden. The soil is moist and I'm not constantly pulling weeds. Most summers I lose control of the garden because of the weeds and heat. This year might be my best year!
That’s just what I did this year with the same results!🤗
Hi Scott. I like straw as mulch, except that it has seeds that sprout like crazy, and I have to go through and pull sprouts, which I'm not crazy about. Being new to straw, I'm uncertain if it's common for it to have live/viable seeds. I'd like to keep using (seed-free) straw, along with the grass clippings and leaves that I normally use.
Hi, Stollie. I have the same problem and it varies. Straw isn't supposed to have many seeds but some bales seem to be filled with them. If you get the straw bale months before using it, you can water and soak the straw to encourage seeds to sprout while they're still in the bale. Stop watering and the seedlings will die. Then you can use the straw with less concern about getting sprouts in your garden.
I would appreciate your take on this Gardener Scott. When I've mulched my garden in the past, it seems to allow for a huge increase in cell/sow bugs (rolly polly's) They, in turn, chew on the stems of my plants and kill them. I've had some luck with foil collars but it seems easier to not mulch. Our other issue is, with our high winds in NM spring, the mulch just blows away. I've tried straw, wood chips, and pine needles. What do you think?
Moist mulch can give sow bugs a nice environment. I don't have that problem in my dry area. Our high winds do blow the mulch and I've found that by themselves the materials blow around, but when leaves, straw, grass, and pine needles are blended they tend to stay in place.
How many inches of wood chips do you need to suppress weeds? I thought I had enough wood chips over my garden bed to suppress the weeds but apparently I did not.
If I continue to add wood chips in the fall this year will that also help my garden do better next year with suppressing the weeds and let it grow better next year's call?
This year's Garden crop is struggling to grow with the exception of my corn. My tomatoes and cucumbers are struggling along with other Vine crops.
Six inches of wood chips is a good target for weed suppression, but effective depth varies by the type of weed. keeping the mulch in place and adding more will help for next year.
Gardener Scott, do you worry about aminoperolids and other weedkiller in the straw you purchase?
That is becoming a serious issue. I'm moving more and more to leaves and grass that I can collect myself and know it doesn't have herbicides or pesticides.
Thanks Gardener Scott! Do you think I can use soil amendment as mulch? I bought extra because I overestimated my original need.
Sure. Often use compost as a mulch.
Would you recommend a mulch mixture of grass cuttings and pine needles that have fallen from pine tree. I live in southern NH. I'm growing cucumbers, bell peppers, eggplant, tomatoes and beans. Just in case that matters.
I use a lot of pine needles and grass around my strawberries and raspberries. Because the pine needles take longer to decompose when I mix the mulch into the soil at the end of the season, I don't use many of them around my vegetables.
Just make sure that the Straw you are purchasing doesn't have seed heads in it that will germinate in your gardens. You WILL have a mess to deal with.
Straw doesn't have seed heads. it's the leftovers when they harvest oats/wheat/etc. You may be thinking of hay?
I put down some straw mulch on mine this year. I do have a question though with this being my first garden. What do you do with the bed and mulch after the growing season?
I leave it in place. It protects the soil over the winter.
That's great, I live in an area filled with pine needles, so free mulch everywhere. Any idea how long does it take for them to decompose, a rough estimate just for info, and do they offer as much benefit as grass and leaves? (in terms of feeding the ground with nitrogen and whatnot)
I live in a dry area and it can take years for pine needles to break down. In wetter areas it is much quicker. Grass and leaves break down faster and are a better source for nutrients.
I used straw and NEVER will again. I had so much germination from the barley or wheat seeds that it looked like a lawn. It took me an entire season of pulling barley/wheat to that bed cleaned. It was awful.
For sure! I had the same experience. Cheers.
It may have to do with your environment/climate. Works well in my arid climate!
@@sharonholmes4444 I live in semi desert. Very dry. But thanks anyway. Cheers.
Sid Boswell try pine needles - all the benefits and none of the germination hassle.
Captain Ron try pine needles. No germination problem; otherwise comparable to straw.
Hi Scott. A very informative video. I've seen other youtubers talk about mulching with woodchip and raising a concern that as it decomposes it strips nitrogen out of the soil to the detriment of the plants. What is you first hand experience of this? Is it something to be concerned about? Many thanks.
It isn't a concern. Research shows a nitrogen loss at a very shallow depth at the surface, but the nitrogen is replaced as the mulch decomposes. It has no negative effect on soil below the surface.
@@GardenerScott thank you. Time to call the local tree surgeon and get a trailer of wood chip dropped off.
Great mulch video. I want to mulch all my raised beds with straw, but I am worried about the Grazon that is in straw and hay.
That is becoming a serious issue. I'm moving more and more to leaves and grass that I can collect myself and know it doesn't have herbicides or pesticides.
That is becoming a serious issue. I'm moving more and more to leaves and grass that I can collect myself and know it doesn't have herbicides or pesticides.
Dear Gardener Scott, Peace and thank you for your videos. I have a simple question not related to mulch. Could you please recommend a good scarecrow? I guess I should write scare corvine. The crows aren't really a problem here but the doves, blue jays, robins, and red breasted cardinals are atrocious. Which scarecrow should I buy, or should I make one with a clothes hanger clothes and pole?
I don't know of a source for a scarecrow. You can make one and consider adding shiny ribbon or tape.
Do you let grass clippings dry out first in a separate place or just sprinkle them down?
I let them dry out.
How did you make the blend of leaves, straw & grass ? Did you put it through a chopper of some sort?
I spread them in layers on the bed and then just use my hand for a rough mixing. I also alternate as I put them into large bags and then when I take it out it is mostly blended.
Where do you get your free leaves/grass clippings?
From friends and family.
If I use recycle center free wood-chip mulch for pathways, and then each year clean that up with all of the leaf-litter and other debris...is that compostable material? Then, I can lay down new wood-chip pathway. Thanks! You are my onlne guide.
It is compostable, but I leave it all in the paths and apply a new layer each year.
@@GardenerScott Thank you so much! Happy 4th of July!
What about brewer compost is it any good
If you're asking about the spent grains, it can be okay as mulch but I think it's better in the compost pile.
I have a question. I’ve always been taught it is good practice to work around your plants and it helps the plants grow. Is that true and if so, how do u do that with a mulch in place.?
A good garden grows where a good gardener goes. I think plants do better when the gardener is actively working in the garden. The thick mulch is okay to walk on. My raised beds are also easy to access even with mulch in place.
Can I add straw to my onions that are at least a foot tall to help with the weeds?? And all the other veggies without killing them
Sure. I mulch onions and other veggies with straw.
Hi Scott. I really appreciated this mulching episode. You mentioned that at the end of the season, for the beds that were mulched with the lighter mulches (grass, leaves and straw) that you turn it into the soil. Why not just leave it there? I've seen other gardeners just leave it and, for example, Greg Auton (Maritime Gardening), actually adds more mulch on top of it to decompose over the late fall, winter and early spring. Then at planting time, most of it has already decomposed so he just moves it aside to plant the seeds and, just like you, leaves it that way until the plants are bigger and then moves it back. What is your opinion on this? Do you think that working it into the soil at the end of the season is better? The biggest part of that question is that by turning it into the soil, aren't you destroying the micro organism culture of that first couple of inches? I'd be very interested to know your thoughts on this.
Thanks. I always look for your videos every day. Really enjoy how you discuss and teach.
My soil is pretty poor so I turn it in to amend and improve the soil. I'm not using a tiller and destroying soil structure and life, but just turning it over in big scoops. After a few years that isn't necessary and leaving it on the surface is the plan. Thanks.
Which is better straw or hay
What about mushroom compost I heard it has a lot of salt in it. Have you ever used mushrr=oom compost Is it any good?
I prefer straw. Hay tends to have more seeds. If I buy bagged compost it's usually mushroom compost. I haven't had an issue with salt.
What's the best way to dry the grass clippings? I can get a couple bags a week from my lawn but I'm guessing the green grass clippings aren't a great mulch to put down. Should i make a space to spread them out to dry?
If you put it down it will look like a brown carpet in 3 days ! It looks fabulous
I spread green clippings very lightly on the bed. That dries them in place. The rest I'll spread in a spot by my compost pile, rake, and bag up. You're right that a thick layer of green grass is not a good idea.
@@GardenerScott it looks great in the walkways and keeps weeds down
Second year gardener here🙂✌🏻 Last year I bought two panical hydrangeas online and in the box was straw to reuse as a mulch. I used it to cover my two new borders with fresh, local compost. I don't think it was enough though. This year I bought french wood chips for around my perennial plants in the front garden. I intend to collect a ton of leaves every fall to enrich my soil. But I'm wondering how you can add compost to the entire garden, when there is a mulch in place? Do you move it aside patch for patch, adding the compost and cover it back up?
For most of my beds, I move aside the mulch, add compost, then reapply the mulch. For my berry and fruit bush beds where the mulch isn't thick I spread a light layer of compost or manure on top of the mulch and let it slip through during watering; more mulch is applied on top later in the season.
@@GardenerScott oke, thanks for the reply. I enjoyed watching some of your videos.
Thoughts on the colored mulch available at big box stores?
It's okay for some applications, but I don't use it near food crops. The wood is often chopped up shipping pallets and other recycled wood and may include pressure-treating chemicals. The dye is often mineral based and the color fades pretty quickly in the landscape.
@@GardenerScott Thanks for the response. I had concerns about the dye being non-food safe, but hadn't considered the source of the wood. I might pick some up on sale and try around my trees to see how long it lasts before it fades, but will definitely avoid it around my food crops.
Thanks for the videos btw, I just purchased my first house earlier this year and will be starting raised bed gardening next year. The main goal for this year will be to start composting and build the beds, so everything is ready for next year.
How do you fertilize with the mulch in place?
I have organic matter in the soil which lessens the need for fertilizer and the organic mulch decomposes to enrich soil.
The fallen leaves I have available on my property are a mixture of black walnut and sugar maple. Will the black walnut leaves cause problems if used as mulch or added to the compost pile?
The black walnut leaves shouldn't pose many problems after they've been composted. The juglone breaks down when exposed to air, water, and bacteria.
Thank you for the information!
👍👍👍👌♥️
Can you start seedlings from fresh fruits and vegetables?
Sure. If the fruit is from a hybrid plant the results may not be what you want however.
I've learned to watch certain "TH-camrs" like you even when I think I know everything about the subject. Often, I learn something I didn't know or think of. In this video, I learned about using dried grass clippings to mulch my seedlings ... that's always been a problem for me. No longer. Thanks for that.
On the topic of using straw as a mulch, while I love using straw, I find that it produces too many weed seedlings. I believe somebody made an earlier comment about that. I'm wondering how you deal with that problem or are you fortunate enough to have a good supply of "seedless" straw?
Cheers and thanks for your many helpful posts.
If you wanna use straw i recommend getting a scythe and either let some of your lawn (if you have any) grow and cut it before it gets mature or ask around in the neighourhood or a local farmer if you can mow some of his grass works quite good for me
Straw should have fewer seeds than hay, but there will still be seeds. I pull the few seedlings when I see them appear and it's rarely a problem.
I heard this technique called Hydro: Cooling when you pick your cool weather crops can you go more in depth on this topic future videos thank you
I'll look into it.
@@GardenerScott thankyou
When you say straw, I'm assuming wheat straw? What are your thoughts on the use of old grass hay that was bailed for livestock feed? The hay I'm considering has been in dry storage for more than a decade. Is it worth using for compost or mulch?
I would try it in a small area to see if the seeds were viable Wouldn't want a garden with wheat growing. If it doesn't grow I think you have a very good mulch.
It is mostly wheat straw. Old hay is good, but I've found that new hay tends to have a more seeds. Go ahead and use your hay. There may still be some viable seeds, but the benefits outweigh a few weeds.
Where would I obtain straw?
I get it from a ranch & farm supply store. Some nurseries sell it too.
Hello Gardner Scott, to get my soil tested I call this place in Las Vegas NV. This outfit wanted 280.00 to test my soil , you had your soil tested at Colorado State if you do not live in your state can somebody from AZ. use their service ??
That's too much. Here's a test from Utah for much less: www.usual.usu.edu/home-soil/index
Thanks Gardner Scott
@@garyradford9381 YIKES!!! My soil samples are 15 dollars here in Tennessee.
If all you're checking is soil pH, then you could use the vinegar/baking soda tests with a small amount of dirt for each sample.
Won't straw burn the plants, because it reflects the sun ? Is old straw better. Thanks jim.
Not at all. It doesn't reflect heat. Old straw is a better choice for a mulch.
I love the look and purpose of mulch, but it is such a catch 22 for us in the Pacific Northwest, esp. the 'Seattle' region as it is a haven for the thousands of slugs I battle on a daily basis...mulch and nightly slug patrol with a flashlight is my routine, along with coffee grounds and copper coil.
I had a problem with slugs in my hosta garden I get rid of them by putting epsom salts in a hose-end sprayer and zapping them. Kills the slugs and the hostas like the added magnesium.
I live in the PNW as well, and was wondering if it's a good choice for us or not. I'm actually right on the coast. I have had problems with fungus gnats and was wondering if maybe compost is a better choice.
I need pine needles to get cats off my yards. Their poop attracts lots of flies
what zone are you in ? what state ??
I'm in Zone 5b, Colorado.
@@GardenerScott Thank you ... I am mid MI and also in a ZONE 5 - - -
Do you ever use paper
I use paper in my compost pile but not as a mulch. I have very high winds and paper dries quickly.
Straw from 15+ years ago...should I be concerned about chemicals
No. Some herbicides and pesticides can remain up to a year, but not 15.
Do slugs hide in a mulch?
Yes, they love it underneath the mulch. I wrap 'mulch sausages' out of my grass cuttings.
That way i can turn around the mulch, check for snails and collect them.
If the mulch is moist it can hide slugs.
@@GardenerScott I live in Vancouver, Canada, and we get a lot of rain and slugs!
Ohhhhh yea. But uncovered soil kills the biology. If you have a slug problem you may want to consider a living mulch.
Mulch also attracts birds that prey on slugs and snails. Add a couple of water bowls to your garden for bathing and drinking to invite these protreine hungry mutated dinosaurs to your garden. The snail slamming birds need a stoney surface to do the job. New gardens are a disrupted eco system and more vulnerable to pests. But keep in mind that the predators arrive after the pests, so be patient and allow for some damage. Needless to say that we don't spray or scatter toxic pellets. Same for insects: after the black fly, the lady bug arrives, all types of wasps and other critters hunt down a lot of insects. In order to stimulate that, we placed some insect hotels in the garden. Happy gardening, greetings from Holland
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