Favorite mulch

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LeafTravis Brooklyn Park, MD Jul 27, 2011

I'd like to hear about your success or failures with mulching. I'm using pile of grass for the first time in my vegetable garden, like for cucumber and other plants and so far it's working pretty good. I have noticed that because I pile it on heavy (while it's fresh and green) that it tends to get moldy. Will that hurt the plant? So far it hasn't caused any harm.

What's your favorite mulch and why?

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Garden_Sass Central, TX(Zone 8b) Jul 28, 2011

Grass clippings are great if allowed to dry then mixed with chopped dry tree leaves for mulch; otherwise (as you've discovered) they pack down forming a soggy mess! Another problem - Nitrogen is "robbed" to break it down thus stealing food from your plants. Use a good organic fertilizer to compensate.

If your grass produces viable seed heads that can result in a weed problem - compost them with other green and brown materials. A "hot pile" will kill most seeds and pathogens.

Feed your soil's microbes and they will "feed" your vegetable's roots!!! This process goes on daily with activity dependent on soil temperature, moisture and organic matter. "Teaming with Microbes: The Organic Gardener's Guide to the Soil Feed Web (Revised Edition)" is an informative book that explains this process.
You can order it through Amazon.com.

Ms. Tommie

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