Homestead mailing list

[Bill Jones <billj AT harborside.com>]

tonitime AT juno.com wrote:

> I'll second that, but with a pretty huge garden - i've no choice but to
> use spoiled hay rolls.  One thing that helped was the heavy paper layer
> below the hay mulch.
I can attest that there's no easier way to remove grass from an area 
where you want to put a garden.  Just a season or two in the dark and 
the grass is history.

But I've had poor results with leaving mulch on and expecting it to 
decompose into something useful.  The fact is that it just disappeared, 
presumably taken by critters to make their nests.  Maybe I'll try this 
again in some secure beds.

Ironically I've found the least use for traditional mulch here.  There's 
rarely a need to keep the soil cool, when it's so cold all the time.  
Intensively planted crops shade their own soil anyway, and a mulch can 
stop the soil from warming up enough to grow warmth-loving crops, in 
addition to drawing slugs.

Bill
S. Oregon coast