Don’t Forget to Mulch!

What I love about spring and the gardening frenzy that accompanies it is that it comes to an end. Once the annual weeding and the thousand and one plantings are done, we can rest and let Mother Nature do the rest. And she usually does her job well, as we’re still in a region where the rain falls fairly regularly. You can now go to bed in your hammock: your annual effort is over.

… if you’ve laid mulch

At least, it’s over if you’ve laid mulch to finish off the planting. Because if you haven’t mulched, the ordeal (oops, I mean work) has only just begun! You have to weed, hoe or cultivate, over and over again, every week, to control weeds and break up the soil crust. And when Mother Nature forgets to water, you have to do it for her, because weeding dries out the soil and breaks up the plants’ roots, causing them a lot of water stress. The more you weed, the more you need to water.

Of course, if you’ve laid a thick enough organic mulch (at least 7 to 10 cm, 3-4 inches), you’ll never have to weed again, the soil won’t crust over and, what’s more, the soil will stay moist even in dry spells. You’ll also have a lot (a LOT!) fewer weeds, since mulch prevents plant seeds from germinating. If you weeded well in spring, you’ll have total peace and quiet for the rest of the summer.

The Right Mulch for the Job

The question is which mulch to use… and that’s largely a matter of taste. Some people like the orange-red effect of artificially dyed mulch, others the brown of naturally coloured mulch. On the other hand, you should be aware that coniferous mulches (cedar mulch, hemlock mulch, etc.) slow plant growth and are especially useful on surfaces where vegetation is not desired, such as when a round of mulch is laid around a tree. On the other hand, mulches made from hardwood or other organic materials, such as forest mulch, cocoa mulch, buckwheat mulch, shredded leaves, etc., stimulate plant growth and are therefore more useful where planting is required: flowerbeds, vegetable gardens, etc.

The Lawn: The Laidback Gardener’s Bête Noire

There’s one last task that will keep you moving for the rest of the summer: mowing the lawn. My suggestion? Eliminate the grass with mulched plantings or hire someone else to mow it, then go back to bed!

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Larry Hodgson published thousands of articles and 65 books over the course of his career, in both French and English. His son, Mathieu, has made it his mission to make his father’s writings accessible to the public. This article on growing asparagus was originally published in Le Soleil on May 11, 2005.