It’s Time to Mulch

Mulching chayote 
to protect roots from freezing
and make it a perennial

It’s always a good time to mulch, but it’s particularly appropriate during this transition from fall to winter. Mulching helps mitigate the stress on plants caused by the wide swings between afternoon and early morning  temperatures.  

Even cold-weather crops such as broccoli and mustard appreciate a generous application of mulch.  It evens out the soil temperature and moisture content as weather conditions vary widely during changing seasons.  

VegHeadz Mary Janik, Peggy McDonald, Yen Chen, and Janis Piotrowski spread leaf mulch this morning on many of the beds at the demo vegetable garden. 

Leaves are plentiful at this time of year and make particularly good mulch because they provide a nice air blanket between layers with their crinkled leaves, protecting the soil and plants from drying and cold damage. The green plants are able to nestle down into the mulch keeping their top leaves exposed to the sun.

Cold weather crops
appreciate mulch too

It’s particularly important to
mulch citrus like this 
Meiwa Kumquat which is
Cold Hardy a few degrees below freezing

Herbs benefit from mulch

It’s also a good time to add 
Cardboard and mulch to smother
Winter weeds