Mulch advice please

[plotman]

Dear o dear whatever is all this talk of cardboard,newspaper, black plastic, carpets etc lol All these so called organic shortcuts to avoid effort. I really do smile at them all. Im 55 and fit as a fiddle. Why? Because i was taught correctly. Prepare yr plot by effort and then keep on top of it. Hoeing/weeding is a vital part of soil improvement. You loosen the surface allowing rain to enter evenly with all its goodness. You allow air into the soil and you keep yrself agile and stress free. Forget the fees for joining a gym. I NEVER buy so called organic conditioner, fertiliser or anything else. I compost all my own, make my own leaf conditioner (not mulch) and save or swop most my seeds. I do buy some seed. mY Shed is comfy, has tea making facility, and gives me a place to hideaway when needed. Garden as you wish, but DONT please Dont advise new allotmenteers to go down the shortcut lazy route of plastic, cardboard etc. Its an eyesore, and a poor envirament for all the good insects we need as our allies. Let nature, the weather, and a little bit of love and effort enter yr soil and the results will place a permanent smile on yr face. Leave plastic, carpets , cardboard etc in recycling skips where they belong.

[Beanie]

Dear o dear whatever is all this talk of cardboard,newspaper, black plastic, carpets etc lol All these so called organic shortcuts to avoid effort. . . . . . . Leave plastic, carpets , cardboard etc in recycling skips where they belong.

. . . which just goes to show there are as many different views on gardening as there are gardeners!

But I'm going to stick with my cardboard-and-straw mulches anyway - I don't mulch to avoid effort: I mulch because I've read books from various people such as Geoff Hamilton, who tried it out & found it's better for your soil & not so wasteful on water.
I'm also fit as a fiddle - but that could be because I spend less time weeding & hoeing, & go off dancing instead!

[SarzWix]

Dear o dear whatever is all this talk of cardboard,newspaper, black plastic, carpets etc lol All these so called organic shortcuts to avoid effort....
.....Garden as you wish, but DONT please Dont advise new allotmenteers to go down the shortcut lazy route of plastic, cardboard etc. Its an eyesore, and a poor envirament for all the good insects we need as our allies. Let nature, the weather, and a little bit of love and effort enter yr soil and the results will place a permanent smile on yr face. Leave plastic, carpets , cardboard etc in recycling skips where they belong.

Congratulations on your good health Plotman

I don't advise new plot-holders to use carpets, it's not something I do myself, but, cardboard, newspaper, manure and straw are all compostable materials, so using them as a mulch is not much different from spreading a thick layer of compost. Also, does not prevent 'nature', air and rain from getting to the soil. If you were to go and lift my mulch, you would find it teeming with worms and myriad other small creatures, who appreciate not being continually disturbed. The bottom of the mulch is decomposed, and the worms are moving up the layer, aerating as they go. The soil is loose and friable, much easier to dig to remove any persistant perennial weeds - docks, dandelions, creeping buttercup and couch grass come up usually with intact roots, and even horsetail is weakened. Oh yeah, and it grows great veggies

As my plots aren't mulched on every bed, and I have dug a considerable amount of them bit by bit, over the last couple of years, I can see the argument from both sides. Can you? I challenge you to give it a go

[Eyren]

Dear o dear whatever is all this talk of cardboard,newspaper, black plastic, carpets etc lol All these so called organic shortcuts to avoid effort. I really do smile at them all. Im 55 and fit as a fiddle. Why? Because i was taught correctly.

Lucky you

Some of us are stuck in desk jobs to pay the bills and need to work up to that level of fitness. Advising a newbie who has never dug before (and doesn't have anyone to teach them how to do it properly) to dig over their entire plot is not terribly helpful, IMHO.

I'm gradually digging my plot to eliminate perennial weeds like couch grass, but once that's done I don't plan on digging it again. Ever. In the meantime I use cardboard (and sometimes black plastic sheeting) to protect my newly-dug beds from having their nutrients washed out by heavy rains, and to weaken the grass on as-yet-undug areas and prevent my plot from becoming totally overgrown.

Home-made compost is ideal - but it doesn't come free with a new plot! I would certainly encourage any new allotmenteer to get a compost bin or two and start making their own, but in the meantime, any organic material that can be added to the soil is good: cardboard, manure, composted garden waste from your local recycling centre, whatever.