Using Compost Instead of Mulch
video description
As a mulch for perennials and trees, wood chips are fine, even coarse wood chips. Sure they don't look great at first, but I don't care to be honest. The coarser it is, the longer it lasts. It'll feed the soil and save on water for about 2 years before you need more. And if you use big perennials, and put shrubs and trees everywhere, so that there isn't one spot uncovered with plants, then you don't need mulch at all anymore. And with how fast plants enrich your soil, just by injecting carbons into the soil through their roots (mainly to feed mushrooms to get nutrients in exchange, you most likely won't need to water it (and certainly won't need to fertilize it. For me the goal is 1) to restore the poor soil I have with mulch, 2) plant is tight, 3) be at a stage where I have every cm of the garden covered in plants so I don't need to mulch anymore. Of course for the veggie garden I will still need mulch and compost.
Date: 2022-07-16
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Comments and reviews: 9
Natalie
Hi Laura and Family As usual another fantastic informative enjoyable family. Watching your video brought back so many memories of when my children Richard 23 and Felicity 21 were young. I remember wishing for just 1 more minute for them to sleep so I could get my job's done lol. I remember carrying one on my front and one on my back in baby carriers around the garden cutting the lawn and weeding lol. Supplying them with snacks and cars, lorries and mud for my Richard and drawing for Felicity. They were such happy times, hard work but happy. It's great that you can combine your family life and your job all together. I hope that makes you feel complete and happy, I think it does from your feedback. You are such a lovely woman you deserve all the happiness that life has to offer you. Keep up the much loved fun informative videos for us all, as we love them. Love to you all Natalie & family xxx
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Hi Laura and Family As usual another fantastic informative enjoyable family. Watching your video brought back so many memories of when my children Richard 23 and Felicity 21 were young. I remember wishing for just 1 more minute for them to sleep so I could get my job's done lol. I remember carrying one on my front and one on my back in baby carriers around the garden cutting the lawn and weeding lol. Supplying them with snacks and cars, lorries and mud for my Richard and drawing for Felicity. They were such happy times, hard work but happy. It's great that you can combine your family life and your job all together. I hope that makes you feel complete and happy, I think it does from your feedback. You are such a lovely woman you deserve all the happiness that life has to offer you. Keep up the much loved fun informative videos for us all, as we love them. Love to you all Natalie & family xxx
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Amanda
If I planned a project during nap time my 3 year old son would for sure wake within 20 min. I am so happy that you have productive nap times (happy = jealous. Lol but also very happy for a fellow mom) (Im sure not all naps are perfect, but it seems like it since those projects are the ones we end up seeing, hence the perfect nap for a successful video)
Oh, and garden related: bulk compost is definitely the way to go. I would add the info on applying it when the weather is warm; if its burning hot from the garden center and you apply to garden (and some plants) you can burn/suffocate (not sure the right word) but there are lots of implications for using bulk compost, so lots of additional video subject opportunities if you ever run out of video ideas yeah right!
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If I planned a project during nap time my 3 year old son would for sure wake within 20 min. I am so happy that you have productive nap times (happy = jealous. Lol but also very happy for a fellow mom) (Im sure not all naps are perfect, but it seems like it since those projects are the ones we end up seeing, hence the perfect nap for a successful video)
Oh, and garden related: bulk compost is definitely the way to go. I would add the info on applying it when the weather is warm; if its burning hot from the garden center and you apply to garden (and some plants) you can burn/suffocate (not sure the right word) but there are lots of implications for using bulk compost, so lots of additional video subject opportunities if you ever run out of video ideas yeah right!
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xop23
Looks great! I also prefer no red in my compost (same as my wood preferences, unless I lived in HI or AZ that has reddish soil.
And while I'm happy for you that you're getting a jump start, I'm loathe to join in the chorus of wishing the natural weather for your zone to be warmer. It harms all the native crops when it's hotter than it should be, and all the heat from climate change causes huge extremes of weather which is traumatic for people, flora and fauna. I want my Zone 5 to stay Zone 5, though I realize that we're likely well beyond that stage at this point (which I lose sleep over, honestly. But boy does that mulch look GOOD! Think how nice it'll be when you wake up tomorrow and forget that you've done it and see it with fresh eyes! : )
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Looks great! I also prefer no red in my compost (same as my wood preferences, unless I lived in HI or AZ that has reddish soil.
And while I'm happy for you that you're getting a jump start, I'm loathe to join in the chorus of wishing the natural weather for your zone to be warmer. It harms all the native crops when it's hotter than it should be, and all the heat from climate change causes huge extremes of weather which is traumatic for people, flora and fauna. I want my Zone 5 to stay Zone 5, though I realize that we're likely well beyond that stage at this point (which I lose sleep over, honestly. But boy does that mulch look GOOD! Think how nice it'll be when you wake up tomorrow and forget that you've done it and see it with fresh eyes! : )
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Hollie
Advice needed. I am just starting to work on some flower beds that the original owner put in. Looks to be made up of landfill from when the house was built including hard clay and rocks, covered with a layer of chunky mulch that I think has been there for a while and is between a few inches up to a foot deep (I think to level out the landfill. My plan is do take out all the old mulch and reuse in the bottom of some raised beds, try and turn over as much of the clay as possible and add gypsome, compost and then some finer hoop pine mulch over the top. Q. 1 am I on the right track? Q. 2 when would I need to re-mulch? Q. 3 do I just keep adding fresh mulch on top or replace like I'm doing now?
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Advice needed. I am just starting to work on some flower beds that the original owner put in. Looks to be made up of landfill from when the house was built including hard clay and rocks, covered with a layer of chunky mulch that I think has been there for a while and is between a few inches up to a foot deep (I think to level out the landfill. My plan is do take out all the old mulch and reuse in the bottom of some raised beds, try and turn over as much of the clay as possible and add gypsome, compost and then some finer hoop pine mulch over the top. Q. 1 am I on the right track? Q. 2 when would I need to re-mulch? Q. 3 do I just keep adding fresh mulch on top or replace like I'm doing now?
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Nicola
Glad to see you using non-bagged mulch, it is so much better for the environment! I noticed you use a lot of plastic Laura, such as your seed-starting trays - every part is plastic, and it was wrapped in plastic, every time you go out to get coffee you get a disposable cup, and every kind of soil, compost etc you use is in a plastic bag. Do you have any plans to reduce the amount of plastic you use? I think it's really important to educate gardeners by example that it's not only important to make your own little patch beautiful, but to be more responsible for the garden we all live in, our planet: -)
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Glad to see you using non-bagged mulch, it is so much better for the environment! I noticed you use a lot of plastic Laura, such as your seed-starting trays - every part is plastic, and it was wrapped in plastic, every time you go out to get coffee you get a disposable cup, and every kind of soil, compost etc you use is in a plastic bag. Do you have any plans to reduce the amount of plastic you use? I think it's really important to educate gardeners by example that it's not only important to make your own little patch beautiful, but to be more responsible for the garden we all live in, our planet: -)
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Lisa
I've been buying bulk garden soil for the last 2 years after moving to our new house. Soooo much cheaper. This year I will be scoping out compost and bark mulch to work on other ares of our yard. One thing to consider is using tarps. I put one in the back of our truck before the soil is loaded. So much easier to clean the box! I also use another tarp to put under soil that has been delivered. That way none of it is left behind or wasted and I can have it dumped closer to the areas I'm working without covering the gravel on our driveway, lawns, etc.
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I've been buying bulk garden soil for the last 2 years after moving to our new house. Soooo much cheaper. This year I will be scoping out compost and bark mulch to work on other ares of our yard. One thing to consider is using tarps. I put one in the back of our truck before the soil is loaded. So much easier to clean the box! I also use another tarp to put under soil that has been delivered. That way none of it is left behind or wasted and I can have it dumped closer to the areas I'm working without covering the gravel on our driveway, lawns, etc.
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Jeremy
We buy bulk mulch by the dump truck and pile it up in a certain place in our yard. Then I use my compact John Deere tractor to get bucket loads and that seems less labor-sum and you can still control (similar to bags) of where and how much. etc. etc. I haven't found mulch I love yet either. We have slowly been converting our mulch areas over to black coal (its a shiney black rock look) since I liked the look of black mulch. The coal method (we're in year 3) is working out great! No more mulching those beds! insert hand clapping
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We buy bulk mulch by the dump truck and pile it up in a certain place in our yard. Then I use my compact John Deere tractor to get bucket loads and that seems less labor-sum and you can still control (similar to bags) of where and how much. etc. etc. I haven't found mulch I love yet either. We have slowly been converting our mulch areas over to black coal (its a shiney black rock look) since I liked the look of black mulch. The coal method (we're in year 3) is working out great! No more mulching those beds! insert hand clapping
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Ruth
One thing I learned the hard way is to put tarps down to catch the spillage as you move the mulch from truck to ground. It helps with clean up. The compost should eventually improve the ph of your soil.
For those asking about weeds, you can put a layer of cardboard down before spreading the mulch. It will suppress weed seeds, but eventually will break down so that the compost can work into the soil.
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One thing I learned the hard way is to put tarps down to catch the spillage as you move the mulch from truck to ground. It helps with clean up. The compost should eventually improve the ph of your soil.
For those asking about weeds, you can put a layer of cardboard down before spreading the mulch. It will suppress weed seeds, but eventually will break down so that the compost can work into the soil.
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Blackpepper
Could you suggest how far to place each supertunia vista from each other at planting time in beds and in window boxes? Im trying to make a list this year so I know exactly what I need. I know they spread so much and I like it fuller like you do but what would be a happy medium between what they suggest and what would fill in and look full sooner? Thank you
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Could you suggest how far to place each supertunia vista from each other at planting time in beds and in window boxes? Im trying to make a list this year so I know exactly what I need. I know they spread so much and I like it fuller like you do but what would be a happy medium between what they suggest and what would fill in and look full sooner? Thank you
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