worldharmony
Full Member
Posts: 19
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2009 5:25 pm
Location: NE Ohio

Mulch to protect plants and keep soil moist?

I have six raised garden beds. My cucumbers and watermelon need lots of water, my spinach has bolted, and some tomatoes that I have growing in a container in a separate location seem to have the beginning of blight. From what I've been reading, mulch can help with all of this:

1) mulch around the watermelon and cucumber plants can keep the soil moist around their roots
2) mulch around the spinach keep the roots cooler in hot weather and can help ward off bolting
3) soil infected with blight can splash up onto leaves and stems of plants when it rains; mulch provides a barrier between the soil and the plant.

Has anyone used mulch for these purposes? I have an organic garden and lots of ants, so I don't want to use mulch treated with chemicals, but I worry about wood mulch, as it may attract ants and other creatures. If I use mulch, what kind should I get?

cynthia_h
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 7500
Joined: Tue May 06, 2008 7:02 pm
Location: El Cerrito, CA

Have you read Helpful Gardener's article on Mulch on the home page?

A good basic introduction to the subject! :)

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9



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