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How to mulch a square foot garden
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Posted by
nancydobs z3 WI (
My Page) on
Wed, Jun 6, 12 at 16:43
| I've got 350 sq. ft. of raised beds planted rather intensively with a variety of veggies. I have a cubic yard of nearly-finished compost that I'd like to use as mulch, but I've read that less than 2" of mulch is pointless for weed suppression. For the life of me I can't figure out how to mulch to that depth around all these crowded seedlings in my "square foot" garden without burying them all alive! For example, there are 36 carrots planted in a square foot (a grid 6 across by 6 down - about 2" apart in all directions). Any suggestions are welcome! |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: How to mulch a square foot garden
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| I would only lightly mulch around things like carrots. You can pull the weeds daily, but you should not have massive weeds if you soil is pure and not weed infected. If you mulch very heavy around seedlings that is not the point. The point is for like shrubs to mulch around them two inches so you won't have to weed a huge property and spend like 15 hours a week weeding. But a bed one can quickly weed. |
RE: How to mulch a square foot garden
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- Posted by buzzy 8PugetSound (My Page) on
Wed, Jun 6, 12 at 23:24
| Doesn't your dense planting suppress weeds itself? |
RE: How to mulch a square foot garden
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| The intensive planting of a Square Foot Garden usually precludes mulching because the plants are so close together that "weeds" should not be a problem. I can put some mulch down shortly after planting, or if seeding after those seeds germinate and get some growth, but not after the plants are relatively high. Trying to mulch around root crops is very problematic since they are so densely planted that I don't try. |
RE: How to mulch a square foot garden
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| I wouldn't say less than 2" is completely pointless. It may not stop every weed but it will help, and it has other benefits - keeping the hot sun off the soil so temperatures are moderated, keeping moisture in, and feeding the soil (if it's a degradable mulch - I use grass clippings and wood shavings blended). |
RE: How to mulch a square foot garden
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| Thanks everyone. Yes, once the plants get bigger and leafier, the dense planting does suppress weeds. Until then, I'll just keep pulling by hand. It's mostly grass that's the problem - sprouts up everywhere except the lawn! The garden soil was relatively weed free last year so I don't know where it all comes from - the wind? Do you think it would be better to mulch lightly with my 3/4 finished compost, or chopped straw?
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RE: How to mulch a square foot garden
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- Posted by corrine1 7b Pacific Northwest (My Page) on
Sat, Jun 9, 12 at 11:42
| compost or straw -- either one blend them together and the chopped straw will stay in place better if it's fresh straw I do mulch densely planted SFG beds because we have a dry summer and it reduces watering. I dry herbicide free grass clippings on a tarp for easy mulching to get between the closely planted squares. I've used straw, but it's always a bit bulky for tight spaces, so compost would be easier there. Chopping straw is a lot of work & when I used the mower made a huge mess on the lawn. Easier for me to use the grass clippings or homemade compost. I don't bother to screen it either. |
RE: How to mulch a square foot garden
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| Corrine1, about how deep do you mulch? Seems like it will be hard to get more than an inch and still keep the stuff away from plant stems. |
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