Congratulations, you’re garden has finally been planted. Now you can sit back, relax, and wait for your crops to grow, right? Hey, not so fast! Another important part of the gardening process is mulching.
Of course, mulching will add an extra step to your gardening time, but the benefits make it worth it. When mulching I tend to use about three inches of mulch around my plants. I don’t put the mulch against the plant, I tend to mulch up to a few inches around the plants.
Mulching: Adding mulch to the flowers (I had no idea my daughter was taking my picture.)
As someone who’s gardened with and without I can definitely see the results of adding it to your gardening routine.
Gardening: Peach Blossoms
I’ve decided to include some of the benefits of mulching below.
Benefits of Mulching
- Consistent moisture for your plants.
I use about three inches of mulch around my plants, I’ve found that adding mulch reduces evaporation and retains moisture. - Weed reduction
Weeds can rob your plants of nutrients and water. Some weeds can take over a garden fairly quickly. Mulch can help smoother the weed seedlings before they have a chance to take control. - Mulch breaks down, over time they add nutrients to the soil.
- Mulch keeps your soil from drying.
Have you ever seen a heavy downpour and watched the rain run off hard packed/baked soil? Definitely something you don’t want, when you are wanting your plants to grow! Mulch helps prevent this since the ground isn’t exposed to the elements. Adding mulch keeps the soil brittle, enabling water and air to reach it. - Mulching helps plants roots maintain an even temperature
Gardening: Vine loaded with grapes
You can have a great garden without mulching, I’ve definitely noticed an improvement when I started adding mulching to my gardening routine.
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