MULCHING the soil in flower, shrub, and veg beds suppresses weeds, holds in moisture, looks smart and can help to feed plants as it breaks down in the long term. A mulch can be any material spread over the surface of the soil in a continuous layer. This can include gravel, broken slate, fabrics, and other inorganic substances, but the most common are organic materials such as garden compost, grass clippings, and straw, or decorative wood and bark chippings.
Compost, grass, and straw break down fairly quickly (within six months) returning nutrients to the soil – which is a good thing, but they’ll need replacing or topping up every year. Wood and bark chippings take around four years to decompose so they’re great for shrub borders.
All mulches bring a decorative uniformity to garden beds. Homemade garden compost looks good and works well anywhere, but is unlikely to be entirely weed-free so wherever you use it you’ll still need to patrol with the hoe. Bagged multi-purpose compost from the garden centre makes great mulch as it’s weed-free, but it will work out expensive.
Using grass and straw
Denne historien er fra May 09, 2020-utgaven av Amateur Gardening.
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Denne historien er fra May 09, 2020-utgaven av Amateur Gardening.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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To dig or not to dig?
Should we be carrying out a full dig on plots now? Bob considers the pros and cons of the 'autumn dig' debate
The box ball blues
As if his beleaguered box hadn't already taken a beating, Toby now has to deal with some hungry box caterpillars
Save your own seeds
Masterclass on: seed saving
Strange sightings
Three unusual insects turn up in Val's garden in one day
A bolt from the blue!
Cornflowers are perfect for garden and vase
Winter moth prevention
Ruth shows you how to avoid maggoty tree fruits
Create a winter container
There are as many options as in summer
Lightweight gardening tools
AS well as being good for our mental health, gardening is also great exercise.
Autumn price round-up
AG finds better bargains in lesser-known brands
Rudbeckias
Rudbeckias are ideal for sunny summer patios and borders, with some able to survive our coldest winters