Hi y'all! Have recently bought a house here in South Texas that has a small, fenced-in garden plot with two nice raised beds. It was very overgrown but have now cleared it out only to discover a heavy layer of old mulch covering both beds. I have enjoyed container gardening for many years but being an always-moving Marine Corps wife we have always rented so have never tried my own in-ground garden. I have no idea how to get these beds ready for planting! Do I remove the old mulch completely? It is a pretty deep layer so think I might actually have to add soil to prepare it for planting. Have other questions but will start with this one. Thank you for any help! Lucia
Help! Newbie is overwhelmed by mulch in South Texas!
What is the mulch material? If it's shredded bark, you can till it into the soil, but if it's the large "Deco Bark" chunks, don't till in. Whatever the mulch, just plant into it unless it's formed a compacted mass that you think water won't penetrate. You'll find a large selection of vegetable plants available right now in nursery and box stores. Some seeds are still available and it's not too late to plant seeds for lots of things. Forego seeds and use plants if you're planning on tomatoes since it's late to be starting those from seed.
Happy Gardening!
Crow
A layer of mulch can be great for keeping out weeds, keeping the soil moist, and adding nutrients to the soil. I try to keep 2 - 4 inches of mulch on all my beds. Otherwise they dry out too fast and I am too busy to water every day in the hot Texas summer.
It is shredded bark and not too compacted, so I will start planting. Thank you very much for y'all's help!
Raised beds are really a awful lot like containers, compared to an "in-ground" garden. So I'd say going forward, don't discount all the good gardening experience you have.
I attend a class a while back held at the overton center by TAMU.. they said the best mulch to use is whats found in your area naturaly.. Ive been using the oak leaves from the water oak in my yard in some of my beds and they are working great.. I still supliment with mulch from the Bio place in jacksonville but using what you have makes sense and cents to me...