Speaking of weeds we've experimented with several types of mulch this spring to try and control those pesky weeds including bagged mulch, shredded newspaper, grass clippings and chipped wood from a tree chipper. Bagged mulch is pretty, does a good job controlling weeds and will help add organic matter to the soil, but it can be expensive to use. Shredded newspaper surprisingly stayed where we applied it quite well and did an OK job of controlling weeds when we applied it heavily, but it required four 36 gallon trash bags full of shred to cover 10 plants. So it may not be the move convenient mulch available. Grass clippings are very effective at controlling weeds and add organic matter to the soil. In my experience when planting less than 20 tomatoes, grass clippings work well and the supply of clippings needed can usually be acquired from mowing the average lawn. In our situation we have just over 700 plants in the garden and an herb and flower garden so gathering enough clippings was a challenge.
For our new garden project, chipped wood has been the best option for several reasons. One we've been able to partner with a tree service, Walk Up Tree Service, who's supplied us with several truck loads of chipped wood. We have about 15,000 square feet of land that needs mulch so finding a cost effective mulch was important. Also, our soils organic matter content was low so adding chipped wood will greatly improve our soils aeration and organic matter content. And finally we've found it to be an effective way to control weeds which allows us to focus on more exciting projects in the garden. One more quick note on chipped wood, in order for the wood chips to decompose your soils nitrogen content needs to be sufficient enough to sustain decomposition. And a simple soil test will help you determine if your soils nitrogen content is appropriate.
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