In these long summer days of little or no rain, you might want to consider mulching your crops.
What is mulching?
Mulching involves adding biodegradable matter around the base of your crops to help stop water evaporation and reduce the need for excessive watering. Mulching crops with organic matter also helps increase the biodiversity and quality of your soil as well as helping keep weeds away that steal the water from your plants. There are a few different methods that are tried and tested.
Wood chips/bark
Taking advantage of the Society’s supply of mulch around your crops to help keep them moist. It doesn’t take much effort and spreading mulch around your plant base will help prevent the water from evaporating during the day. If you didn’t know already, there are currently two concrete bins of mulch just after the cabin and these are sourced and provided for all plot holders so please help yourself (remembering to brush any scattered mulch back up into the bin, helping to keep the area tidy.
Cardboard
Placing cardboard around your crops (and remembering to weigh/peg it down) will help keep moisture trapped in the soil and it will eventually degrade and add texture to your soil as it does. Remember to keep an eye for our little sluggy friends who like to hide underneath in damp places though!
Hay
A well known slug deterrent, placing hay around your crops will also help keep water in the soil and provides a nice dry bed for those crops where fruit or veg lays directly on the soil. If you haven’t got access to a stable, try a pet store for supplies – there’s a Pets-at-home in Baguley, Wythenshaw nearby
Leaves
If you have managed to rake up and store some leaves from last autumn, spreading these will provide a lighter mulch for crops. When watered, they retain moisture well and breakdown adding structure to the soil. Leaf mold (where collected leaves have degraded to a soft, wetter state) can also be used but the slugs quite like that so perhaps use only where our slimy friends cannot reach.
Grass clippings
If you have grass on your plot and usually compost the clippings, consider spreading a 1/4 inch around your crops. Make sure to use clippings of the actual blades of grass and not the (Couch) grass roots and these will degrade to a dry consistency helping to put off slugs
Lastly, some ideas to help stop water evaporation and reduce the need to water:
- Water in the evening or early morning where possible
- Water deeply so that the plant roots grow deeper to seek out the water and you won’t need to water as frequently (tomato growing pots are great for this – just water in once, and then water the ‘moat’ which encourages deep root growth and reduces the need for as much watering
- Use low companion crops around the base of any high crops to help prevent water evaporation
- Think about what you are growing – if you’re not someone who likes to water lots, root crops are a good option as they store the water and can survive prolonged dry spells that bit longer!
Happy mulching!