decisions on gardening

[Patchouli]

I've been putting off starting seeds because of the rodent problem and finally decided to get some wire meshing type stuff on a roll and make a cage of sorts for housing the plants, as well as having it on the ground. They can't chew through wire/metal. Using mesh keeps the holes small enough so they can't contort their scrawny bodies through. Hope to find something that will not block the light much, though here in Texas that might be okay.

PLUS, I'm going to use mints, peppermint, spearmint, catnip, lemon balm. I read the rodents don't like it so perhaps if planted in the right places where they have to rub past the plants, they would hate it enough to go away. just thinking out loud here....
that's right, I haven't done it yet but that's the plan.
Do you mulch your herb and food gardens? What do you use for mulch? I don't like having to water so much here in TX since we have a water bill to pay.

 

[Woody]

I mulch and am a big fan of “Triple shredded Hardwood Mulch.”



It is one of the more inexpensive ones to purchase and does come without colors added. But also comes in assorted pretty colors, if you swing that way… I do not judge folks based on the color of their mulch, that would be racist.



It is very easy to spread and I can adjust the thickness. Easy to pull a handful and work it around tender plants to get great coverage. Packs well enough to hold down weed growth but loose enough to breath and let in moisture. It will deteriorate within a year if tilled in the Fall (or left to Lasagna) and adds to soil tilth.



I do not know if this step is necessary or not, but what I have always done with success. In the fall I will make a mix of Blood meal and some Dolomitic lime. Spread lightly on the mulched areas to till in about a week or so before hand. Water or let it rain a few times. In my memory banks (slightly faulty at this point in life) mulch deteriorating uses lots of Nitrogen and the bark is slightly acidic. I balance this out and it helps the mulch to deteriorate faster. You will still have some of the larger chunks come spring, but they help to retain moisture and add tilth and stricture.



You do not need to cover the entire row with it, I will do a circle around larger plants and will do rows in trellis plants like Beans or peas. Root crops like carrots I have never tried to heavily mulch. I will make a light scattering of the mulch over fresh planted seeds to retain some moisture and help keep the soil loose so they can sprout without having to break a concrete surface like dry red clay.

 

[Sonya_6]

I just buy bails of wheat straw for mulch (which is mandatory else everything will be taken over by weeds in weeks). The straw disappears entirely by the next year. Plus also have pine shavings from the chicken coop (which takes more than a year to break down).

The straw is cheap and works fine, though I can see the benefits of finer mulch for ease of spreading. I use the no-till method on established beds and just dig holes or rows for the plants with a hand trowel, last week I planted peppers and was amazed by the amount of huge earthworms appearing (half a dozen or more) in each small planting hole. I am sure the mulch does a lot to foster a heavy earthworm population. I would read labels before buying cheap wood mulch though, some is made from pallets or wood from demolished buildings and other questionable sources and includes wood treated with various paints/chemicals and lord only knows what else that gets caught up in the mix (which is why it is often dyed).

As far as rodents, the garden is next to the chicken coop, there are coop rats but they don't eat garden seeds since they have an unlimited supply of chicken feed and grain. When I scatter grain as a treat I call the chickens and the little field rats come running over along with the chickens for their share (and the fat docile rats make good eating for the coop snakes so their population stays down).

 

[Meerkat]

I always mulch and use leaves I rake up in the spring and summer.
This Florida sand really drinks water so it is important to use it here. Plus next time I double dig my raised bed I will put tree limbs in bottom of hole or trench. They will hold moisture for a long time. I have tree branches all over the place from storms so all I have to do is pick them up. Put the biggest ones on bottom and layer small ones on top, then add dirt back into the hole.

 

[joel]

If you build raise beds, put stainless steel on the bottom & sides to stop them digging in.