It's a cover-up

Covering bare soil with a material such as cardboard or manure between crop plants is called mulching and it has many benefits, as Joyce Russell explains

- Joyce Russell

If you are new to gardening it can seem like there’s a lot to understand and keep on top of. Weeding can feel like an endless task and watering can feel the same in hot, dry weather. Take a breath and pause. Nobody learns gardening overnight, but the process should be enjoyable. Step back from the rush of everything growing fast and take time to discover something that can make your gardening life much easier. And that is mulching.

Mulch isn’t really a miracle but it comes close. Covering your beds with a layer of material that cuts down on weeding, watering and feeding all in one go, can save hours of frustration. If used over years, some mulch materials will improve the quality of your soil and the number of weeds will decrease to minimal.

Mulch comes in loose forms like bark chips or sheet material like cardboard or recycled black polythene, which is less attractive but can be a cheap way to cover a large bed.

MULCH CAN BE USED TO...

Suppress weeds. Mulches will reduce the amount of time you spend weeding. They cut down light and restrict growth of weeds underneath. Weeds that do grow through often root into a loose mulch and are easy to remove.

Help keep soil warm. Thick mulches act like an insulating blanket. Black sheet material absorbs heat and warms the soil on sunny days. Put mulch on to warm ground and it will help hold heat in. Don’t cover cold ground with a thick mulch or it may trap the cold in.

Keep moisture in the ground. Mulch can reduce evaporation, either through a physical vapour barrier such as polythene, or by insulating to reduce exposure to wind and sun.