Mulching - AKA Flat Composting

Mulch seems to be the new buzz word here in Australia when people start talking about having water wise gardens. What people don’t realise is that using an organic mulch is the same as adding un-composted compost.

In my garden we have very sandy soils which don’t hold a lot of moisture for a long period of time, sandy soils are also popular for some very prickly weeds that get stuck in your feet when you walk on the grass.

My solution to mulching a large area of nutrient poor soils is to remove any weeds, spread a layer of grass hay to around 5cm thick, then cover with a layer of rotted cow manure.

The mixing of the manure (nitrogen rich) and hay (carbon rich) will over time cold compost down into a thick layer rich in organic matter ready to hold water in the soil and to give your plants a boost.

Each year the hay and manure needs to be topped up, so put another layer of hay on top of last years manure then more manure to create a layered effect. This goes some way to being a ‘No Dig Garden’ but in a much slower format. After about 3 years you should not have to plant anything in the original soil, the mulch layer should be deep enough and have enough nutrients to support any plants in it.

The key to mulching is to use what you have available to you, this could be dry leaves, grass clippings or rotted manure. You just need to Mulch It!

Tags: mulch, water wise, garden, water, wise, water saving, no dig