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A garden is only as good as the ground that it's planted in. Discussion forum for the many ways to improve the soil where we plant our gardens.

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Old June 1, 2017   #1
Durgan
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Default 31 May 2017 Mulching

http://durgan.org/2017/May%202017/31...Mulching/HTML/ 31 May 2017 Mulching
A ten yard (~70 wheelbarrows) load of wood chips were delivered to my driveway and over a few days will be used to mulch all areas of my garden. Cost of chips was $10.00 per yard plus a 30 dollar delivery charge. The chips are transported by wheelbarrow to the area required. If the plants are small the chips are placed by hand otherwise raked in close to the plants. My main purpose of the mulch is to retain moisture by reducing evaporation by the Sun heat. All weeds were removed prior to mulching. Wood chips are ideal for mulch, since rain water can permeate, and the chips are heavy enough to stay n place under normal circumstances.
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Old February 6, 2018   #2
Black Krim
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Old post---but boy does that garden look neat!!

When I put down sawdust , my neighbor asks why I put it down as he is rather perplexed. When I explain it holds moisture in the soil and keeps the soil moist underneath the sawdust, he is still perplexed. His method is to run the tiller around and around, and hoe hoe hoe......
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Old February 6, 2018   #3
jtjmartin
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Gardening is so much more fun now that I heavy mulch. Weeding time used to be enormous and some years I would never catch up. With a heavy mulch, I only have to pull a few stray weeds per week.

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Old February 6, 2018   #4
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Mulchers, how do you deal with the slugs?
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Old February 6, 2018   #5
BigVanVader
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https://www.amazon.com/Monterey-LG65.../dp/B000BWZ89K
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Old February 6, 2018   #6
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I don't use chemicals in my garden. I have used beer traps, which are fairly effective, in the past, but with overhead sprinklers they had to be reset daily.
But then I switched to Back to Eden style gardening (no-till, heavy mulching with shredded trees). The first year I had lots of slugs and pill-bugs. I did nothing about them. The second year, fewer bugs, and then last year, my third year of this style gardening, I saw a few slugs and other bugs on dead plant parts such as pulled weeds or trimmings, but they left my healthy plants alone. The only time I found them on healthy plants was when, for instance, a strawberry had a bird bite, then the slugs would come and finish the job. My lettuce and other plants were left alone!
One other way I dealt with slugs in the past was to make traps and then kill them. Hollowed out mini watermelon rinds or orange rinds layed on the ground to make a cool "cave" for the slugs to hangs out, then check the traps every day and flick any slugs or snails into a bucket of soapy water.
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Old February 7, 2018   #7
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lol I have ducks.
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Old February 7, 2018   #8
Nan_PA_6b
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Durgan! I've missed your clear, factual, super-informative posts & pics. That garden looks perfect.

My mom had a tree cut down, so she'll have a layer of wood chips like that in her garden this year.

How thick is that layer?

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Old February 7, 2018   #9
Durgan
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The lead honcho of this forum has me banned, hence my posting have almost stopped.

The mulch can be quite thick. Usually from three to five inches is excellent. I find it breaks down in around a year and I just rototill it into the soil.
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Old February 12, 2018   #10
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Well, I hope you don't disappear from this forum. And I'd like to say that I have admired the way you grow, cook, & eat. "Eat to live, not live to eat," you say. With your growing & preserving, & no salt or added sugar, you must be the healthiest person alive. I could never do what you do, but I admire it greatly.

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Old February 17, 2018   #11
Durgan
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Thank you. I am reasonably healthy. Careful what I eat and keep my weight just below 180 with effort using the FAST method. Always looking for new simple foods. Kefir, tempeh, sourdough bread currently on the go. Have others that are tried and rejected.
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Old September 24, 2018   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hiker_ View Post
Mulchers, how do you deal with the slugs?
We mulch with either hay (we have acres to mow) or woodchip when the power companies clear under power lines in our area (every other year). Slugs and other pests were a real pain the first year but have been less of a problem with each passing year. Just starting our 4th season here and don’t expect to have much of a problem this season. We’ve had to modify things a little. Can’t sow a lot of things direct into mulched soil as the bugs wipe them out as soon as they pop their heads aboveground! For those things we sow into seedling trays then transplant when bigger. For things like carrots we remove mulch to sow then put it back once carrots are established. The small amount of extra work is worth it because there is almost no weeding and watering is greatly reduced.
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Old May 28, 2020   #13
Durgan
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Default 23 May 2020 Finished mulching tomatoes.

23 May 2020 Finished mulching tomatoes.
Posted on May 23, 2020 by Durgan
http://durgan.org/2020/May%202020/23...tomatoes/HTML/ 23 May 2020 Finished mulching tomatoes.
Finished mulching tomatoes (18) about ten wheelbarrows full of mulch.Good moisture retainer.

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