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Montoursville, PA

Mulching can be done with anything that rots. I use a lot of leaves which are available close, to my patch year around. I also use straw and rotten or spoiled hay when I can get it.

Mastering the art of mulching leads you one step closer, to less tilling and yes even the possiblity, of no till.

In the meantime while you get used, to these basic organic treetments, mulch remains mulch until it becomes humus.

By using a mulch you create a thin but important layer of very valueable composting, in place. You will deter weeds better this way than any other way. The few weeds that emerge you simply tramp or hoe over and cover with a little more mulch. This is the last step, in a series, of soil building practices that is very easy to do. After a few years, of good mulching, a compost pile and related work to make it is diminished in value. You will be making compost 24/365. The cover crop then becomes the only reason to till and then only shallow tilling to put it down the first few years. In time you might elect to go no-till by weed wacking the cover crop and having it become the first layer of mulch. You simply cover the cut down cover crop with more mulch. When your humus content is about ten percent you might elect to stop tilling and move into no-till.

Stop and think a little. Your flower beds and nearly everything else, on your property, do not need tilling to maintain excellent growth. Ruth Stout, of New England States area maintained a no till garden. for twenty years between the ages, of seventy and ninety when she passed away.
Her "No Work Garden" book is a good read, for anyone. Basically she used mulch about four inches thick. Each spring she simply parted the mulch and set her plants. That's it! Nothing else save a bit, of lime, now and again to maintain PH. She, of course, was not trying, to push world record anything but her production quality and size drew international attention, for many years.

4/11/2005 11:07:16 AM

Montoursville, PA

It might be added, that Ruth used no brought in fertilizer, and used no insecticides or fungicides that are commonly used today.

I can not tell you my patch is that healthy as, of this date. I can assure you I keep working, in that direction. My goal is, to continue reducing the addition, of outside help, to one day say...."Hey guys and girls it really worked".

I can say that no synthetic fertilizers or substitutes, for natural re-mineralization have been, in my soil, anyplace on this property, for over fifty years.

4/11/2005 11:20:30 AM

Topsfield, Ma.

I've been mulching 3-4" shredded maple leaves for the last four seasons and evry year I've suffered stump rot. The whole patch gets covered, approx 1000sq ft. Now it could be overzealous watering, but i'm inclined to forego the mulch this season and take on the added weeding chore. What do you think Doc? BTW, my OM is 18%

4/11/2005 7:17:17 PM

Ontario, Canada.

Duff, it could be as you described overzealous watering. With 18% OM I bet your soil holds a lot of moisture. your plants may in fact benefit more from sightly dryer conditions. I have always believed bigger roots mean bigger pumpkins. Letting the buggers hunt a bit for water early on in the season will do no harm as the roots will simply search for more if need be. Patches with high CEC and OM tend to hold a lot more water than you think.

We only have to look at Bens field grown 919 Holland to prove this point. In the middle of no where stuck in a Aussie pasture we have an amazing plant that was very vigourus. Water can be too much of a good thing at certain times. With mulch it can be very hard to correctly access the plants needs for irrrigation.

4/11/2005 10:19:54 PM

Oz

PILE YOUR SEMI ROT UP AND MIX WITH SOME HARWOOD CHARCOAL,DRY BRUSH,OR NON-TOX BRICKETTS.
PUT A HARDWARE MESH VENT TUBE IN THE MIDDLE.
FIRE IT UP!
TOO MUCH FOOD FOR ONE BUG...FUNGUS...IMBALANCE..
DOC RECOMENDS "DR.DIRT".....GOOD READING

4/12/2005 1:14:08 PM

Cheyenne, Wyoming

What effect does 2 inches or so of mulch have on the soil temperature?

I have mulched the past several years. It is great for keeping weeds down, but I think it keeps my soil temperature low, slowing down pumkin growth. I'm going to try not mulching this year and see what happens.

4/12/2005 1:44:46 PM

Montoursville, PA

I do not cover the stump with mulch. A yard sale fifty cent umbrella is deployed to keep the stump dry.

With all the rain we have had in the Northeast last two years I doubt anyone had less than to much water.

Mulch neither retards or adds to the absorbsion of BTU's....May take a bit longer to warm up but once warmed up the mulch is a blanket that keeps it there and does so in a nice even manor. Thinking the other way a mulch prevents quick temperature swings on the hottest days too.

Mother always attempts to use a mulch. That is nature's way.

4/12/2005 2:21:56 PM

Topsfield, Ma.

Kahuna, I think you're right on track. Mc pumpkin I think you're on another post? Beet, we're thinkin' the same!
...and Doc, the mound area is not mulched with leaves but some weed block material with dehydrated cow poop material
over top and redressed as it thins. I started mulching to conserve water as we are sometimes placed under voluntary water bans. We'll see what this season brings...Grow'em big everyone! Duff

4/12/2005 8:49:09 PM

Oz

??,,,
too much decay material of a certain type,,,mulch,,
can harbor fungus.
fire destroys fungus.
you dont have to burn the whole patch,,,just where you plant the AG.

4/13/2005 8:13:13 AM

Montoursville, PA

Mound area.........words and application. Let's say it this way since my whole patch is a mound area. I mulch all open soil. All of my vines are burried except the first foot or so, of the stump. The first foot or so rises above the mulch. It is kept dry and free of the bunches of new growth stumps often send out. If the mulch gets a bit thick as it seems to for me I am sure to not bury the stump. I like air all around the stump and first foot or so of the vine.

By the time the first secondaries appear all vines are "V" hoed and lightly covered with soil and the mulch I speak of.

I have no physical mound rising above the patch level since the whole patch is a foot above all other soil grade.

The humus content of the whole is or was 19.5%. I did not test NPK and humus this spring. I see no logical reason to test more than occasionally when the total is known to be excellent.

4/13/2005 10:42:52 AM

NEPA roller46@hotmail.com KB3QKV

Docgipe, your original message mentioned no till gardening. We lived in our last house for 12 years and we had a small but very rich garden that was for tomatoes only. the last two years we lived there I did not till the ground I just dug a hole where I was putting the tomato plants. During the year we added grass as a mulch and to keep the ground moist, and in the fall we added leaves. During the canning season we returned the tomato skins etc. that we did not use in canning. Without adding much fertilizer, we had a very rich garden that did not have to be tilled. Now I wish I had put the pukin there last year but knew there was not enough room so we ended up putting the pukin somewhere else, which taught me some valuable lessons. Wish this garden where we live now was like that but it will take several years before I get a garden like that again

4/16/2005 8:12:15 AM