Green Bridge Growers
Follow us on...
  • Our Blog
  • Who We Are
  • What We Do
  • How We Do It
  • Contact Us
  • Press
  • Produce Orders

Welcome!

Hey there! Glad you could stop by to learn more about Green Bridge Growers, the innovative social venture with the mission of  growing good food and good jobs for young adults on the autism spectrum.

Contact Us

Using Organic Mulch to Improve Soil Quality

1/15/2023

38 Comments

 
Picture
Every spring when the weather starts to get warmer, my family heads to the garden section of Lowes to grab multiple bags of mulch to place around our home. When I was younger, I thought that placing mulch around the house was just my parents way of making the landscape look a little better. It wasn’t until recently that I learned of the benefits that mulching provides to soil quality.

Mulch can be used in many settings in addition to ornamental landscape beds like at my parents’ house. It can help smother annual weeds and reduce or eliminate cultivation, hand weeding and chemical weed control while contributing beneficial organic matter. Mulch can also regulate soil temperatures and soil moisture losses to create an ideal soil microbiome for
plant roots. Organic mulches actually break down which provides nutritional benefits to the soil over time.

There are two basic kinds of mulch, organic and inorganic:
    • Organic mulches include formerly living material such as chopped leaves, straw, grass clippings, compost, wood chips, shredded bark, sawdust, pine needles and even paper.
        • Inorganic mulches include black plastic and geotextiles (landscape fabrics).

For our purposes organic mulches provide the benefits we are looking for regarding soil health. Choosing a type of mulch is often based on personal preference and appearance. Different types of mulch have different lifespans and different nutritional benefits. For example, red pine and hardwood bark add organic matter to the soil as they decompose but do not supply much nitrogen while mulches from leaf tissue have the added benefit of supplying nitrogen. Mulches derived from leaf tissue can be produced at home from recycled material including compost, ground leaves, and pine needles. More about at home composting can be found here.

The general rule of thumb when it comes to applying mulch is to spread it about two to four inches thick over the soil surface. It is important to use the correct amount of mulch because if too thick, it can prevent water from reaching the soil. When the mulch layer is too thin, it may not inhibit weed growth or provide its other benefits. It is also important to prepare the surface before mulching. For example, if weed suppression is the goal of mulching, it is important to weed the area before applying mulch.

Overall, mulching can be an incredibly useful tool to improve soil health and control weeds when the proper type and amount is used. Additional sources on mulching and its benefits below:

Mulching 101: When, Why, & How to Mulch Your Garden

How to Choose the Best Types of Mulch to Keep Your Garden Beautiful

-Keely Charles

38 Comments

    Newsletter Signup

    * indicates required

    About Us

    Green Bridge Growers is a social enterprise created to put to work the many gifts and skills of young adults with autism.  Our founders, Chris and Jan, are building an exciting venture that grows fresh local food and grows great jobs for autistic adults. We invite you to learn about us and follow our work! 

    Archives

    November 2024
    June 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    August 2021
    July 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    October 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    June 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    September 2014
    June 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

    Tweets by @GreenBridgeGrow
    View my profile on LinkedIn
Green Bridge Growers
61591 Bremen Highway
Mishiwaka IN 46544


574-310-8190
[email protected]

  • Our Blog
  • Who We Are
  • What We Do
  • How We Do It
  • Contact Us
  • Press
  • Produce Orders