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Mulching Tips - Urban Farmer's Guide

Home > Gardener's Guide > Mulching Tips

Mulch is classified as any material, organic or inorganic, that you place over the sureface of soil, usually over the root zone of growing plants. Choosing a mulch and deciding when to use it can be a big decision in your vegetable garden or other areas of your lawn. Your decision will depend on the types of vegetables that you grow and when to plant them. Here are some mulching tips for different types of vegetables.

Cool-season vegetables planted in early spring.
Young plants will need a lot of sun to get off to a fast growing start. Lay down organic mulch when the soil starts to warm and when the plants need regular watering. If you try to mulch too early, the soil will stay cold and wet, which will lead to poor root growth. In areas with short growing seasons, plant broccoli, cauliflower, and cool-season plants through plastic. Cover the plastic with organic mulch when the weather begins to warm.

Cool-season vegetables planted in late summer or early fall.
These vegetables need mulch to stay cool, so put down an organic mulch right after planting. When the weather starts to cool, rake off or remove the mulch so the soil can stay warm from the sun. Another option is to put plastic down, but you must cover the soil immediately so the soil doesn't become too warm. Remove the mulch when the weather begins to cool and let the plastic keep the soil warm late into fall.
Warm-season vegetables planted in spring.
With these vegetables, keep the ground clear if you plan to plant the vegetables really early; the more heat the better for warm-season vegetables. Planting through plastic works best in early spring. In hot climates, apply an organic mulch when the weather starts to heat up.

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