As the leaves get going to pass and the air gets cooler , it ’s clear wintertime is on its way . Now ’s the perfect meter to give your garden a little extra love , especially your works and the filth .
marvel how ? Mulching is the reply ! utilise mulch in the fall offers numerous reward ; it helps retain soil moisture , minimize gage growth , and enhancesoil caliber . This safeguard your garden during the upcoming harsh , slopped , and cold days , protecting the roots of your shrubs , perennials , and tree underground .
Perhaps you ’re already convince , but if you ’re curious about the specific welfare of mulch in the fall and the right manner to do it , I have mickle of valuable information to portion out . register on to learn everything you demand to learn about mulch your garden in the fall , from the best materials and ideal thickness , to its Charles Frederick Worth in term of sentence and effort .
1:Mulch Your Garden in Fall Because That’s What Nature Does!
Ok , I do n’t mean that Mother Nature will come and mulch your garden for you , but that Nature always incubate barren soil . At least she tries … Wherever she can , she sends seeds to grow grass , scene never plants , shrub and groundcover to stop soil eroding and keep it moist , static in temperature and fertile .
Otherwise , the process of desertification starts . Covered grease is intelligent soil , but you may not want widow’s weeds to do that Book of Job for you , and so , your alternative is to mulch .
By now , no nurseryman who has a canonical inking of organic gardening ( let alone Permaculture ) even dream of leaving the grunge barren when it is at its most vulnerable leg , during with with its strong rains , wind and freezing temperatures …
2: Mulching Keep the Soil and Roots Warm!
Once you ’ve harvested your tumble vegetables or your yearly flower gardens have fleet , it ’s beneficial to cover the top soil with a a good layer of organic of organic materials , such as Grant Wood bark or straw . This technique help uphold the soil ’s oestrus during the colder months and provides a safeguard stratum for plant root , protect them from the damage effects of winter ’s freeze and thawing periods .
The best way to check that that the freezing temperatures your garden bring in wintertime get milder by a few degrees once you check underground is by set a dependable thick level of mulch , and I suggest at least 2 inches ( 5.0 curium ) in temperate climates , and even more in continental and subarctic areas .
You could even get to 4 inches ( 10 centimeter ) of mulch in very cold-blooded country , but then , the trouble for ornamental garden , is the monetary value , and I sympathize you …
In your veggie garden , it ’s easy , straw is chintzy , and dead foliage even cheaper … But they are unsightly in your flower seam … So , let me show how I “ cheat ” in very inhuman countries …
I lay about 2 inches ( 5.0 curium ) of straw , wood shaving or even composition board , and then I cover it with beautiful but expensive wood barque ! easily … But then , it means that in bounce I will rake it all up , plant , and then only lay the wood bark for the milder time of year .
It is a bit more labor consuming , but it saves me quite a lot of money !
3: Mulch Your Garden in Fall to Keep the Soil Fertile!
This is something we constituent nurseryman know quite well : as before long as you leave the grime scanty , it starts losing food , and it get worse in wintertime ; this is why you want to mulch your garden in declivity !
Why ? Put simply , the grueling rainfall and lead , and abrasive conditions in general , remove nutrients from the soil . And this is not just N , daystar , potassium , etc . but also constituent matter ! If you do n’t want to have broken soil in spring , when you plant and sow and the growing time of year starts , then mulch now and you wo n’t regret it later !
4:Keep Your Soil Healthy and Alive!
Now , it looks like the previous point , but “ fertile ” does not of necessity mean “ healthy and alive ” … If you mulch your grease in fall , all the small animals that keep it good for you and alive , from earthworms to healthy bacteria , mycorrhizae and other creatures that endure and process decaying matter will not suffer from cold , wind and punishing rains !
I also mulch in fall to keep little good insect safe during winter . On the odd good day , they lover even use the small cranny between woodwind instrument barque or straw etc . , to crawl around and run …
Again , this happens all class round , but more so in winter . Many of these brute necessitate strong temperature to be active , and many really ca n’t survive heavy rime . Mulch now , keep them warm , and they will work for you over winter and in give !
5: Mulch Helps To Prevent Soil Erosion in Winter!
If you mulch in the twilight , you also prevent grime erosion , which is quite strong in winter ! Yes , strong tip , rain and even temperature shifts can crock up your grunge and literally take it off from you land !
incline are more at peril , but trust me , rain can remove quite a raft of territory , often surface soil , so fertile , and mulch is a good room to forbid it . However , there is a better room I would wish to paint a picture , usually called “ green mulch ” or even “ light-green manure ” ( if you then turn it in ) … It is to grow groundcover plant .
6: A Fresh Layer Of Mulch Can Enhance The Appearance Of Your Beds and Borders
This is a simple degree , but I find beds and borders with destitute soil quite a distressing slew , and a secure looking wood bark keeps them reasonably also when there are few plants grow in them .
I would forfend colored wood barque though , if I were you … The dye is usually natural , or so they say , but it does bleach fast and it leaks . rather , apply some wood that has a beautiful natural color , even moderately cheap pine tree is quite attractive .
And then of course … The next reason …
7: Mulch Your Garden in Fall to Prevent Weed Growth!
Yes , if you mulch your garden in fall , your flower or vegetable beds , edge etc . will also look better because it sets widow’s weeds from grow . Even when my perennial and bush are abeyant , some Mary Jane have the military strength to grow , even in cold countries …
Not only , but the tip and rainwater will spread their seeds over my garden , and make out spring , they germinate and crop up between my lettuce or primroses … Mulch will allow their seeds to spread ( maybe less than on unfinished dirt ) , but it wo n’t let them mature !
8: Mulch Adds Valuable Organic Matter To The Soil
Yes , mulching can feed your soil , not just keep the nutrient good , but add even more ! It depends on what you choose , but all constitutional matter seeps nutrient into the ground , include wood barque . And the short animate being and fungi it protect will assist along with the job , as will the rains …
So , when I shift my pretty wood barque mulch which has molder away , I always console myself with the knowledge that it has actually fertilized my country …
And now , let ’s see how I mulch my garden in fall , and in other season too ..
Choosing the Right Mulch For Your Fall Garden
The way I choose my mulch for fall depends on the case of garden …
For a decorative garden , I ordinarily go for wood barque , because it look well , and it has fantabulous insulating and protect qualities .
Gravel is potential too , but it does not isolate well , nor does it feast the soil . On the other hand , it looks really cool with succulents and desert industrial plant . In milder climate , I can utilise it for winter , but where temperature put my heat energy loving plants at risk , I prefer wood bark for them too .
In my vegetable garden , I like to use chaff , because it has really splendid insulate qualities , and it us not prone to molds , like hay or sometimes dry leaves , which can develop over winter in squiffy regions .
For a very cheap solution , I sometimes employ cardboard , putting two to three layer on the grime . This is especially good on large plots , which I want to improve . For fields , I produce lucerne or any othernitrogen fixing screen cropsinstead .
The Best Way to Mulch Your Garden in Fall
Mulching is a very aboveboard cognitive operation , easy , brightness level and clean . But I also combine two things … I mulch and fertilize at the same time , so my ground is fertile when bounce come up and I necessitate to grow my plants !
I unremarkably lay about 1 inch ( 2.5 curium ) of compost in my vegetable and flower bed , empty borders , and under trees and shrubs , and on any area where I desire to run and meliorate the filth . This will seep into the soil over the winter months , and it will be ready to be absorbed by my plant ’ ancestor in the spring !
you could skip this part if your soil is very rich already .
Then , I lay about 2 inch of mulch ( 5.0 curium ) , or even more in very cold realm ( up to 4 inches or 10 centimeter ) . This layer must be continuous , and reach the very base , the feet of my shrubs , trees and perennials , so they keep fond .
That ’s literally all . Yes , for all the benefits you get , laying mulch on your garden in fall is so elementary and easygoing , that it ’s really worthwhile !
…And a Final Question: Are There Any Reasons Not to Mulch in Fall?
… And a bare solution : NO ! There are no respectable reason not to mulch , but there are cases when you’re able to do without it , for case …
Final Tips on Mulching in Fall
I have a final tip for you … If winter are wet , mulch when the soil is dry ; this way , you will keep it a bit less humid . On the reverse , if winters are dry , mulch when the soil is crocked , so you will keep more humidness in .
And finally , do n’t compost teetotal loving plants ( like lavender , cacti or succulents ) before mulching , and always mulch them when the soil is dry .
Written By
After many years as an academic in London , Adriano Bulla became a author , publishing book like A History of Gardening , Organic Gardening and Elements of Garden Design ; he then decided to become a nurseryman , following his puerility dream , and has been follow his aspiration composition and gardening professionally in Southern Europe , where he has specialized in new and innovative organic horticulture William Claude Dukenfield and techniques , like permaculture , regenerative Department of Agriculture , food forests and hydroponics .
