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theripetomatofarm

Rate my DIY mulch?

Hey guys, I've been toying with new mulch ideas since the end of summer (actually a little bit before). My main purpose was obviously to get great mulch, which we know why we need, but also to save $$, as well as stick to recycled or renewable sources of materials. I came up with a fairly decent mix based on my available ingredients and it seems to be working well in the few container gardens I've tested it in. Before I implement it wide-scale into the main raised beds and other areas, I thought I'd run it by the pros so see if there's any glaring problems with it.

2 things, I am in Victoria, BC Canada (very mild climate, can get quite rainy but not too bad, and I grow vegetables EXCLUSIVELY. No trees, shrubs, ornamentals, etc etc.

So here's my mix, all in equal parts (volume):

coconut fiber (washed)
shredded newspaper (vegetable inks)
worm castings (from my worm farm)
dried grass clippings
wet grass clippings.

Those are my 5 main ingredients and it seems to be going well, albeit in the SHORT time I've been using it. My main question is, does it suck? And am I going to run into problems with it down the road. Also, if it doesn't suck completely, can it be made better easily?

Thanks all!

Comments (11)

  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    9 years ago

    Since a mulch is anything that covers the soil surface, your mulch is just as good as anything else and better than any non-organic material. It will do everything we expect a mulch to do - cover the soil surface to prevent erosion, suppress weeds, moderate against wide swings in soil temps and eventually add some nutrients. There's little concern about soil moisture evaporation in the PNW in winter but it would guard against that as well ;-)

  • toxcrusadr
    9 years ago

    It almost seems like a compost mix - grass clippings for green and paper and coco fiber as browns. Which is fine, I use compostable mulches quite a bit to feed the soil. The main thing is that it does what you want a mulch to do - stay in place, not mat down, suppress weeds, etc.

    One sustainability question: I assume the coconut fiber is imported from somewhere far away. Surely there are forests and sources of wood chips closer? Would it not be less of an env. footprint to replace with something grown closer? Not to mention possibly cheaper per pound. Just a thought, not trying to sound judgy but just picking up on your own sustainability angle.

  • theripetomatofarm
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks guys, if there is nothing glaringly wrong, I'll start instituting it into the rest of the beds and containers.

    Thanks Tox, but I have exhausted all sources of wood chips around here. I don't trust the municipal yard as they take trees from EVERYWHERE. And so many people spray around here. If this was for bedding plants or ornamentals, no problem.But this is 100% for veggies. Not worth the risk. And although we have several local large peat bogs, I'm not going to support the extraction of peat moss from them.

  • wazzamcg
    9 years ago

    Are you after a Mulch or Compost or a combo?

    A mulch is a layer of material applied to the surface of an area of soil. Its purpose is any or all of the following:
    to conserve moisture
    to improve the fertility and health of the soil
    to reduce weed growth
    to enhance the visual appeal of the area

    Compost is generally recommended as an additive to soil, or other matrices such as coir and peat, as a tilth improver, supplying humus and nutrients. It provides a rich growing medium, or a porous, absorbent material that holds moisture and soluble minerals, providing the support and nutrients in which plants can flourish, although it is rarely used alone, being primarily mixed with soil, sand, grit, bark chips, vermiculite, perlite, or clay granules to produce loam.

  • theripetomatofarm
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks Tox, I'll update during the season how everything responds to it, good or bad!

    Wazzamcg, I am after a mulch. I do't mix in the compost with my soil anymore now that all my beds are established. I'll add compost in the winter, but come spring, the soil gets no more mixing or tilling.

  • floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
    9 years ago

    TheRipeTomato, as gardengirl48 said 'a mulch is anything that covers the soil surface'. Many of us mulch with compost, although possibly less 'designed' than yours - it's not an oxymoron. wazzamcg's info is all cut and paste. The definition of the term 'compost' doesn't, in reality, include any requirement that it be worked into the soil. Good luck with your garden.

  • wazzamcg
    9 years ago

    Just to clarify "wazzamcg's info is all cut and paste" - that is correct I did use wiki to define what a Compost/ Mulch is and used it in this thread. No big deal is it? I just wanted to clarify there is a difference between the two and the terms can be used incorrectly.

  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    9 years ago

    But the point is that there isn't necessarily any difference between the two. When compost or a layered material that could become compost is applied to the soil surface, it IS a mulch.

    Like floral, I prefer compost as a mulch to any other material. And many edible gardeners routinely mulch their crops with compost during the growing season. Compost is not restricted to just being a soil amendment.......it is a pretty versatile material in a garden.

  • Laurel Zito
    9 years ago

    You buy wood in a bag at a garden center to use in compost or as mulch. Get it as broken down as you can, because big pieces of wood take too long to break down.

  • floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
    9 years ago

    Well, we're straying away from the OP's question but I think that unreferenced and uncritical use of cut and paste is a deal of sorts, even if not a BIG deal. The second source (http://www.lostburnfarm.com/composting-methods) is inaccurate in various ways. One example is that you cannot 'produce loam' by adding compost to various other ingredients. 'Loam' has a specific definition in soil science and you can't make it by mixing compost with materials like perlite or bark chips.

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