- Free mulch quest
Mulch is usually there for the taking if you know where to look for it. Besides the dead leaves and grass clippings you can collect from your own garden, check with agricultural businesses and local governments to see if they have any waste material that they would like to be taken away. In particular, ask for items such as chipped bark and wheat straw.
- Strawberries love sawdust
Sawdust mulch benefits strawberries in two ways: it gives them the acidity they crave and keeps snails and slugs at bay. Raise the foliage of each plant and mound sawdust 5-7cm high around the stem. But be aware of what you’re using: sawdust from certain species, such as cedar or chemically treated wood, may contain toxins that are not suitable for garden plants.
- Recycle the tops of root crops
What can you do with the leafy tops of the carrots, beetroots, radishes and other root vegetables that you grow? Once you have harvested the roots, lay the tops between rows of your vegetable garden to mulch the crops that remain.
- Black plastic for a small space
If you have a tiny garden — say a 1.5 sq m patch of soil in a paved courtyard — don’t bother to buy the black plastic mulch sold at garden centres. (Black plastic is the standard weed-eliminating underlay for bark-chip mulches.) Plain, black plastic garbage bags will do the job equally well. Just spread out the bags side to side — and when it comes time to restyle your small garden months or years later, you can use the bags for their original purpose — to hold rubbish — so you’ll be saving money and recycling, too.
- Foil and paper heat-beaters
Single-layer mulch made from aluminium foil or brown paper (the latter coated with clear varnish) will help to decrease soil temperature because both materials reflect the sun’s rays. On very hot days, keep the roots of a favourite plant cool by laying foil or paper around the base of the plant, taking care to keep it away from the base of the stem.
Credit: Reader’s Digest
Picture Credit: Google