My local garden guru, George Brookbank, advocates mulching with alfalfa hay so I got some bales with our new load of bermuda grass for the horses. I mulched the tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, cucumbers and cantaloupes as those are the crops in the soil the longest. The mulch can be tilled into the soil after the season and add nitrogen to the soil as an extra benefit.
As I was distributing the flakes, I had one late, nasty, thought as I do give the chickens a bale in the fall to give them some extra protein over the winter. If the chickens like the alfalfa so well, what about the quail that frequent the garden? Are they going to be picking the mulch as well as the new plants? So far, all's well.
When I went out to take this picture, Roadie joined me on the fence and left with a hapless garden lizard. I guess, we all have to eat...
1 comment:
I am guessing that mulch cannot hurt in your climate. I mulch a couple of inches everywhere in mid-April to very early May annually. This is just as the perennials are coming up, but before they start adding side branches. That way I get plenty of mulch pretty close to the crowns. We have not and HUMID summers here, so I think you could use the insulation to hold the moisture in your hot and dry climate.
The break-down from year to year really helps turn our clay soil into much better dirt. I would think you would get that benefit, too. Don't know anything about quail, but overall it's probably a good idea. May also help with weed control.
Glad to see Roadie is well. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
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