Deep Mulch Gardening

Here at Walnut Springs Farm, we're always trying to find a better way of doing things...anything. A faster, more efficient way to do the everyday task is a winner! Whether it be a more efficient way to organize the kitchen, keep the garden or a better way to care for the animals, we're open to ideas. As Farm Dad so often says, "Work smarter, not harder!".

Having said that, I read a few articles on deep mulch gardening (some tips from our blogger friend Jill theprairiehomestead.com) and decided this was something I wanted to try. With a new baby scheduled to arrive right around gardening season, we decided to go for it on the deep mulch. Anything that helps eliminate bending and tilling with you're in your third trimester of pregnancy is a good idea to me! So last fall we covered the garden with a thick layer of hay. This was great during the winter. However, come springtime, we quickly realized our deep mulch wasn't quite deep enough. Weeds. Weeds. Weeds.

So we learned a lesson. Make your deep mulch just that--deep. We pulled weeds with a lot of help from Farm Children and Farm Niece and added more mulch. All you do when you're ready to plant is rake back the mulch and plant your seed/plant. Leave the mulch pulled away until the plant is looking strong then we moved the mulch closer to the new plant to keep more weeds from growing.

What I've noticed so far is where we reapplied the mulch really deep, the weeds stay at bay, but wherever the mulch was thinner, weeds are plenteous. We've had to do quite a bit more weeding than I had hoped, but we learned a lesson for next year--keep it deep and keep applying more mulch as the animals and barn stalls provide the matter.

Do you have a different method of gardening? We would love to hear about it.