How warm has it been this winter?
Normally we get a bit of a break from watering our fruit trees and vegetables this time of year.
Watering to keep them alive and thriving is likely to get more expensive for many over time.
For those like ourselves who are reliant on tanks and bores, it is both the expense and the worry about water supply, particularly in super dry periods like we have had this year.
One way you can minimise this expense and time is to mulch all your fruiting plants, trees and vegetable gardens.
We avoid having any exposed soil here at Tullamore Farm and keep our fruit trees and vegetables mulched all year round.
That layer of mulch plays an important part in keeping the soil cooler and retaining moisture.
By providing that cover over the ground you also minimise soil loss to wind and rain plus provide protection for all the organisms in the soil that build a healthy environment for great growing. Beneficial insects, worms, bacteria and soil fungi, to name some.
As the mulch breaks down, you are adding nutrients to the soil. As that occurs, just top up the mulch to keep those benefits going.
All our vegetable gardens are mulched with bana grass or sugar cane mulch.
This saves a lot of time and cost and reduces the need to water. They also don’t have grass seeds in them that you would get with mower clippings.
The less seeds added, the fewer weeds you will have springing up and competing with your vegetables.
All our fruit trees receive significant amounts of prunings, wood chip and other forms of mulch around their bases.
The bigger mulching pieces are used around the fruit trees.
Same reasoning – suppresses the weeds, retains moisture, and protects all the beneficial critters.
We mulch out to the widest area under the leaves and branches.
