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Mulching Vegetables
On this page find information about mulching vegetables in a home garden with organic materials and with landscape mulch cloth fabric, including:
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- Organic mulch and using mulch cloth for vegetable plants.
- The four benefits of mulch to garden soils and vegetable plants grown in a home vegetable garden.
- A step-by-step demonstration of how to apply organic mulch to vegetable plants
About Mulch
Mulch provides four major benefits to growing vegetable plants:
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- Mulch blocks sunlight to the soil to prevent weeds from germinating, while helping to slow evaporation and loss of soil moisture and reduce the amount of applied irrigation the vegetable plants require.
- It acts as a thermal blanket, reducing excess heating of soil, evaporation of surface water, and keeping solar heat in the soil during cool overnight hours.
- Organic mulch decomposes slowly and releases nitrogen and other beneficial nutrients both plants and soil microbes need to thrive.
- Mulch prevents direct-soil contact of fruit on vegetable plants from coming in direct contact with the soil and avoiding fungal disease, blight, or decay.
How Mulch Benefits Vegetables
Mulch not only prevents weeds from germinating, it increases soil temperature most needed in early spring and late autumn. Mulch also decomposes slowly and helps fertilize the garden.
There are two choices: Apply an organic mulch like straw or compost, or install porous plastic landscape fabric as you plant [see Planting Through Weed-Barrier Fabric].
Either mulch option does a good job of blocking sunlight to the soil and prevents weed growth. All weed seeds need a suitable environment, including sunlight and water. Mulches inhibit weed development, reducing the need for other preventive measures or removal of large weeds that compete with vegetable plants.
In very hot-climate gardens, use reflective landscape-fabric mulch to reduce heat buildup in garden beds and in the soil, or increase the thickness and insulation of organic mulch layers applied to garden soils.
Apply mulch after each fertilizing and cultivation cycle, starting at time of planting. Use of mulch extends the growing season in spring and in autumn, giving your garden more time to grow healthy, nutritious, and delicious produce, fruit, berries, leafy greens, and root vegetables.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Always follow a cycle of vegetable cultivation with an application of mulch [See: Cultivating a Garden].
Mulching right after cultivating helps protect the soil from compacting around your plants’ roots and forming a crusty surface.
To apply loose mulch such as weed-free straw, gather the tools shown, and follow these simple do-it-yourself steps:
How to Mulching Vegetables With Straw
Cultivate the soil around your vegetable starts to remove any weed sprouts and loosen the soil.
Spread straw or other suitable organic mulch loosely around the plants.
Gently rake the mulch to apply an even-depth coating between each plant while keeping the mulch from touching the plant or plants.