A local landscaper outlet near me offers bulk mulch and I'm trying to figure out which is their offerings is the best for my vegetable garden here in Massachusetts:
(1) A recycled, double ground, organic compost enriched bark mulch. This product is black in color with a natural aroma, and is perfect for homeowners who are looking to enrich the nutrient level of their landscape.
(2) Our all natural, nutrient enriched leaf mulch, produced from clean New England Fall leaves. Our exclusive grinding and screening process produces a clean consistently sized product that is easy to spread.
Any thoughts on which would be better? Thanks.
Better mulch for vegetable garden, leaf or bark?
i have heard that wood type materials actually take nitrogen from soil as they are breaking down, but of course someone else here will be more knowledgeable about that.
To be honest, i just use the leaves and grass clippings that get sucked into our lawnmower bag, already nicely pre shredded, and free, lol.
Flowering marketing language aside, your two options are:
1) Partially composted bark
2) Partially composted leaves
Use either. The bark product will probably take longer to break down, particularly it it's hardwood, but if the leaves are from oak trees those can take a long time, too. How long it takes to break down depends on many factors.
Woody products take up ("rob") nitrogen during the decomposition process, but only at the thin layer of soil interface. When they fully decompose, they release this nitrogen. Using woody products as a surface mulch helps suppress weed seed germination and won't affect your established garden plants -- but don't try to direct seed without having a few inches of clearance in the mulch or get too close to new transplants that only have shallow root systems.
However, you do not want to till woody products into the soil, because then the material binds up soil nitrogen while it's decomposing down at the root level where your garden plants need it.
If you top dress with these products, worms and other soil infauna will do the tilling for you and pull nutrients down into the soil. It's a longer process, but ultimately a much healthier one for your soil than tilling or plowing.
We use leaves in our garden and flower beds. I can turn it into the soil if I want at the beginning of the next planting season.