Mulch your way to a vibrant and healthy home landscape. Profiling a variety of techniques that include sheet mulches, feeding mulches, and living mulches, Stu Campbell and Jennifer Kujawski help you choose the best mulching strategy for your backyard, vegetable garden, or flower bed. You'll be amazed at how properly mulching can both beautify your outdoor space and ease your gardening life by retaining moisture, keeping weeds in check, protecting young plants, and boosting production. Nurture plants and beautify backyards and gardens with this informative introduction to choosing and using all types of mulch, from organic to synthetic. The late Stu Campbell lived and gardened in Stowe, Vermont. He was the author of Let It Rot!, a guide to home composting with over 340,000 copies in print; Mulch It!; and The Home Water Supply.
Jennifer Kujawski grew up helping in the family garden. She has many memories of the experience, both fond (eating peas straight from the pods) and not-so-fond (squashing potato beetles between rocks). Jennifer earned degrees in botany and horticulture and worked as the assistant manager of USDA's National Plant Materials Center in Beltsville, Maryland. She has written articles for numerous publications, including American Nurseryman and Native Plants Journal and was one of the authors of the Community Forest Buffer Guide (Chesapeake Bay Foundation, 2001). Jennifer currently works as a freelance writer and editor for such organizations as University of Massachusetts Extension, USDA's Forest Service, and Massachusetts Nursery and Landscape Association. She is passing along the family gardening tradition to her young son in the 2,000 square foot vegetable garden she tends with her father. EXACTLY WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Mulch, the common ingredient in the best gardens, protects your soil, minimizes weeds, contributes to overall plant health, and reduces the need to water. Here you'll find all your mulching questions covered, with information on everything from sheet mulching to working with living mulches, plus advice on mulching for specific vegetables to help you make the best choices for your favorite plants. Your most fruitful garden will from properly mulched soil. Part One: The Whys and Whats of Mulching
The Benefits of Mulching
Some Drawbacks to Mulching
A Few Definitions
Part Two: Types of Mulch
Bark and Wood Products
Other Plant Products
Paper Mulches
Inorganic Mulches
How to Choose a Mulch
Part Three: Here's How to Mulch
Mulching 101
Mulching Ornamentals
Mulching Vegetables
Mulching Perennial Fruits
Index
