31 May 2017 Mulching

Durgan · June 1, 2017

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.

Black Krim · February 6, 2018

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......

jtjmartin · February 6, 2018

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.

Jeff

hiker_ · February 6, 2018

Mulchers, how do you deal with the slugs?

BigVanVader · February 6, 2018

https://www.amazon.com/Monterey-LG65.../dp/B000BWZ89K

gardenmermaid · February 6, 2018

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.

Black Krim · February 7, 2018

lol I have ducks.

Nan_PA_6b · February 7, 2018

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?

Nan

Durgan · February 7, 2018

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.

Nan_PA_6b · February 12, 2018

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.

Nan

Durgan · February 17, 2018

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.

Raymondo · September 24, 2018

Quote:

Originally Posted by hiker_

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.

Durgan · May 28, 2020

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.

June 1, 2017	#1
Durgan Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Brantford, ON, Canada Posts: 1,341	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.

May 28, 2020	#13
Durgan Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Brantford, ON, Canada Posts: 1,341	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.

February 6, 2018	#2
Black Krim Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: New England Posts: 661	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......

February 6, 2018	#3
jtjmartin Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2016 Location: Williamsburg VA Zone 7b Posts: 1,110	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. Jeff

February 6, 2018	#4
hiker_ Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: RI Posts: 42	Mulchers, how do you deal with the slugs?

February 6, 2018	#5
BigVanVader Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Greenville, South Carolina Posts: 3,099	https://www.amazon.com/Monterey-LG65.../dp/B000BWZ89K

February 6, 2018	#6
gardenmermaid Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: In the snowy desert of SE Idaho Posts: 111	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.

February 7, 2018	#7
Black Krim Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: New England Posts: 661	lol I have ducks.

February 7, 2018	#8
Nan_PA_6b Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 3,194	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? Nan

February 12, 2018	#10
Nan_PA_6b Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 3,194	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. Nan

February 17, 2018	#11
Durgan Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Brantford, ON, Canada Posts: 1,341	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.