Believe it or not – one of the skillful and least expensive way to mulch your garden this class is to just grow your own mulch . Not only will it supply your vegetable garden with some of the respectable constitutive mulch around , it can also replace costly options such as straw – and save you a hazard in the process !
When it comes to productive , weed - free , low maintenance vegetable horticulture , mulch is truly one of the heavy secrets to success . It helps insulate the ground , all while helping make in worthful wet for the root of plants . Even well , it also provide nutrients to the land and return them to the stain as they break down .
But without a doubtfulness , mulch ’s best trait is its ability to both stop and forbid weeds – and finally end the on the face of it sempiternal chore of weeding once and for all . But for many nurseryman , find out that mulch can be difficult – and expensive . Especially when trying to expend common straw !
Growing your own mulch is one of the best ways to save on your garden budget – and keep more weeds out of your garden than ever!
For years , straw had always been our go - to mulch in our veg garden . But it certainly come with a few payoff . For starter , the price keep to go through the roof . And more and more so with each passing year . In fact , in some arena , straw now sells for anywhere from $ 8 to $ 12 per Basel !
But in addition to its high cost , straw can often frustrate nurseryman with all of the weed seeds that often hide within in the bales . countenance ’s face it , there is nothing unfit than putting down a thick layer of mulch to stop widow’s weeds – only to have it then stimulate more weeds !
If all of that was n’t enough , many nurseryman also worry about the pesticide and herbicide residue that might remain on straw take away from commercially raise theatre – and its effect on their own garden ’s safety and operation .
Straw used to be our go to mulch in the garden – but with each passing year, it kept getting more expensive. Now – we grow our own mulch!
So what is the answer ? For us , it was simply to embark on farm our own mulch . And has it ever worked out beyond our wildest dream . With that in mind , here is a look at our how we started growing our own mulch – and how you could too !
How To Grow Your Own Garden Mulch This Year – And Avoid Costly Straw!
A few years back , we decided to render a lilliputian experiment at our farm . alternatively of purchasing husk or finely shredded barque to mulch around our veg plants , we settle to try out develop our own .
No , we did n’t plant playing field of wheat to bring forth our own bales . Instead , we prefer to turn a small 20′ x 20′ plot of soil into a consecrated plot of ground to maturate cereal rye whisky , oats and field peas . We did this not to ready the plot of land for future planting , but to grow a fatheaded crop of flora . One that we could mow , bag and collect .
We then have the cutting and used them in place of stubble to mulch around our plant . When first cut and green , all three act just like green Gunter Grass snip . That entail they actually contain a fair amount of nutrients that can leach into the soil around the plants – including valuable nitrogen .
Those nutrients , of trend , avail to power our veg plant . But even more , as the cuttings dry out out , they stay in stead to behave as an incredible constituent mulch . One that as it breaks down , also continue to bung and add even more nutrients to the soil . And by cutting them before they go to seed – there is zero worry of them causing weeds to sprout in our garden .
It is a winnings - winnings all the way around . And one made even better by the fact that these grain crops issue forth back and can be mowed several times for more and more mulch . And the price vs. straw ? As you will see below , that just might be the adept affair of all !
Unlike planting cover crop seed in the twilight to protect the garden , when growing for mulch , we found a small mulch plot in the early spring . Within three to four week , the plot make full duncish and is ready for its first cutting . If you struggle for distance , you’re able to actually plant the area between your acquire rows for this purpose .
The very first year we grew 100 % one-year rye . The 2d year , we added in oat . And finally , last year , we start flux in some field peas to the mix too . Why ? Because they all give a small bit of a unlike alimental visibility as they break down – and we wish having a mix .
you could certainly grow only one – or a mix of two or more . Although all are exceedingly frugal when compared to straw , the oat and field pea seed is about 1/3rd cheaper than the rye , so we practice a heavier density of oat in our mix .
Whichever you use , all sprout and grow tight . In fact , ready enough that we are able to get our first cut by late April . That is really perfect for make certain we have plenty of garden mulch on hand well before we commence to plant !
To cut and harvest , we but use our push mower with the suitcase attachment . Our first cut is always more than enough to pack a 4″ mulch layer around all of the plants all over our garden . We then store the leftover cutting to use as we postulate .
We also proceed cut the little patch as the craw grows back . Over the course of instruction of the first few months , we are usually able to get four to five cutting before deliver to reseed the plot to keep it thick and lush . Each cutting is usually a bit less , but always enough to keep us more than supply with mulch all through the garden season .
The results have aboveboard been astonishing . In home of a more lifeless and pricey chaff , we are able-bodied to environ our vegetable plants and raised growing rowing with a thick software of fertile green press clipping . Clippings that strip N and other nutrient into the soil below .
We use the same cover crop seed that we plant in our gardens and raised beds in the fall. The thick, lush clippings make for an excellent mulch. All at a fraction of the cost of straw.
Even well , they continue breaking down into the ground to create adept soil anatomical structure over time . The cover craw clippings for certain did not hinder our garden ’s performance in the least . In fact , we both finger as though our plant perform even better than our straw deal rows of the past .
The clippings also have a few more build in advantage over straw as well . For newcomer , the heavier cutting stay in place far well than wispy straw . That can be huge ahead of time in the season when you are trying to keep stubble from shove off aside . But even more , the thick weave of cutting seem to do a good job of keep dope out too . And dear of all ? No weed seed worries from seeded player in bale !
It ’s for certain not to say that drinking straw did n’t do well for us . But the cover version harvest clippings have been a true blessing . And here is the upright part – the cost savings are enormous .
We can buy a 50 pound . bag of cereal grass oats at our local feed mill for just under $ 25 . It takes us about 10 pound sign of seed to sow our little plot of ground , allowing for five disjoined plantings . For that same $ 25 , we might be lucky to purchase 3 or 4 bales of straw !
This method does ask a number of redundant distance to process . We just utilise a humble redundant area , although you could easy use a portion of your garden and rotate the patch each year . If you have the room , it can really be great for crop gyration and building great land !
If you are limited on place , as express earlier , another option is to grow the mulch crop in the walk rows in your garden . This also keep a gardener from having to mulch these areas – pull through even more .
Extra clippings can be saved to use all summer long. And if you produce too many, they are excellent for your compost pile!
As for get up an domain and reseed throughout the growing time of year , the process is quite leisurely . And it certainly does n’t require any tilling . Just as we do when we plant our free fall natural covering craw , we simply lightly rake the ground and inseminate the germ . See our clause : How & Why To Plant A Fall Cover Crop In Your Garden – block Weeds & Energize Your Soil !
Within weeks , we have another thick stand of homegrown mulch to utilize to the layer wherever needed . Both rye and oats will bourgeon easily on just a bit of exposed ground . It ’s just one more reason that it makes this such an easy concept of “ base growing ” your mulch .
One matter is for sure , with the ever rising monetary value of plants , fertilizer , seed and more , produce and saving on your garden mulch can really help oneself on your gardening budget . And who does n’t need that properly now ! Happy Gardening , Jim & Mary .
Jim and Mary Competti have been writing horticulture , DIY and recipe article and books for over 15 year from their 46 Accho Ohio farm . The two are frequent Speaker on all thing gardening and love to travel in their unornamented sentence .
