Did you know that mulching your vegetables is one of the best things you can do for plant health and production? That's right, mulch helps keep the soil moisture in and more consistent, and it also helps cut down on disease (especially on Heirloom tomatoes) as it prevents soil from splashing up on the leaves.
If you have a lawn, one of your best free sources of mulch is grass clippings! You can spread them out in your garden beds (make sure not to pile the mulch too close to the stems of the plants, leave an inch or two around the base of the plants so as not to smother them).
Happy Worms = Happy Plants
Worms LOVE grass clippings! We put grass clippings down on our garden beds all the time, and it slowly disappears, eaten by happy earthworms. Mulching with grass has REALLY helped our soil, before it was heavy clay, but with added homemade compost, and grass clippings as mulch, it has turned into dark, rich soil... worm heaven, and my pepper and tomato plants LOVE it!
One quick tip:
Don't pile mulch too close to the stems, we always leave a few inches around the base free of mulch to avoid rotting stems.
When worms eat the organic material in your soil (like grass clippings or dead leaves), they process it into what some call "gardener's gold": earthworm castings. These castings (or excrement) help enrich and fertilize the soil with phosphorus, calcium, nitrogen, and magnesium that your plants can use to grow big and strong. So keeping worms well-fed with a fresh supply of grass clippings all summer long will keep them producing free fertilizer for your plants!
Worms also move the soil, acting like tiny plows, creating tunnels that help bring water and nutrients to the plants' roots. We don't even do much roto-tilling anymore, we just let the worms do their magic.
Winter Mulching:
It's also very wise to cover your garden beds each winter with mulch like grass clippings or leaves. This will help insulate the earth, keep the soil moist, and keep the worms and other soil organisms thriving all winter to help build the soil while you wait for spring. :)
It's also very wise to cover your garden beds each winter with mulch like grass clippings or leaves. This will help insulate the earth, keep the soil moist, and keep the worms and other soil organisms thriving all winter to help build the soil while you wait for spring. :)
These Giant Marconi plants love their worms and grass mulch!
