Should I mulch my vegetables?

Mulch is highly beneficial for growing vegetables. It suppresses weeds, retains soil moisture and even adds nutrients to the soil as it eventually breaks down. There are many types of mulch - sugarcane, pea straw, lucerne, woodchip and even gravel. The best types for vegetables are the more straw based mulches, as gravel can change the structure of the soil and make it hard to sow fine seeds well in the next succession, and woodchips can rob nitrogen from the soil as they break down. 

How to mulch vegetables

Vegetables should be mulched once they are large enough that they won't be swallowed by the mulch. For example, there is no point direct-seeding carrots and then covering the soil with mulch. They won't germinate through the light-suppressing layer. Most vegetables can handle being mulched from about 10cm high. Mulching is particularly important for potatoes to prevent greening of the tubers as they form up the stem above the seed potatoes. It is also very helpful to regularly apply mulch to longer-term or perennial vegetables such as garlic, asparagus, rhubarb and slow-growing crops like leeks, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower. Faster growing crops like lettuce, radish, baby spinach, rocket and Asian greens may grow fast enough to outcompete weeds and not require mulch, although every vegetable grows better with mulch. 

Still to come

Next time I will talk about irrigation set ups for growing vegetables. 

This week's recipe links

Berry Spinach Salad from Cookie & Kate. 

Honey Roasted Cauliflower Chickpea Salad from Well Nourished. 

Roasted Beet & Carrot Salad with Avocado from Love & Lemons. 

Napa Cabbage Salad with Sesame Dressing from Rainbow Plant Life. 

More info

To read more about what's happening on our local organic farm this week as we grow and care for veggies for our box delivery, check out this week's newsletter here.