I don't know where you are in your part of the world dear reader but if you're having any weather like we are (which I can almost bet you are), you're dealing with a wicked dry spell as well.
Which is why I'm going to throw up a quickie blog about mulching.
As I type this we finally got a spout of rain for the first time in a couple weeks. Enough to just barely water the garden but a far cry from the real rain we need.
And to boot - we've been getting +30-40C temps on average every day.... For what? Almost 3 weeks now?
This is kicking the shit out of the crops around to put it nicely.
However if you have a garden, mulching may be the solution you can use to save your plants, save on water AND bring nutrition into the soil.
As you can see this is a picture of the dirt in my garden that does not have any mulch whatsoever and was watered 24 hours prior.
Completely dry.
This is a picture however of soil that was mulched and watered 24 hours prior.
Still moisture left enough to squish the dirt together.
Pretty big difference huh?
I'd say.
I am currently using barley straw as a mulching medium however there are lots of options out there including things like wood chips or even grass clippings.
Yes, if you cant get your hands on chips or straw you can absolutely use grass clippings. And yes, if there's any seeds in there it may be inconvenient however that would be a discussion one would need to have with themselves - is it worth it to put in a little extra elbow into their garden if there's some seeds that tag along to water once every 2-3 days or would they rather spend every day watering 2 or 3 times a day?
Bro tips:
With straw bale you may need a little extra nitrogen in the soil as the break down of straw will suck it out. If you've got straw mixed with chicken poop - the poop will help balance it out since chicken poop is high in nitrogen.
Also, you'll need a good 2 inches of straw for it to work efficiently. It also helps keep the weeds down!
Want to learn more about mulching?
Check out this book called Mulch It!.
As always, if you can support the author by buying the book - please do so. However if you're broke, here's an option that won't break the bank.
If you like the book and get money later on... feel free to purchase and gift the book to someone you know might want the info!