Vegetable Gardening Cultivation and Mulching

Two main reasons to plow or hoe the garden are to destroy weeds or to break up soil that has crusted over.

The competition between weeds and seedlings in the vegetable garden is always a problem. Each time the soil is worked, new weed seeds are brought up to the surface where they soon germinate.

Two main reasons to plow or hoe the garden are to destroy weeds or to break up soil that has crusted over. Packed, crusted soil shuts out air and water that plants need.

Plowing soils can actually harm vegetables if the cultivation equipment is allowed to cut the roots of vegetables. Shallow cultivation, just deep enough to destroy weeds is recommended.

Organic mulch a good control…

A good mulch material, applied to weed-free soil will help control weeds and conserve moisture. Organic mulches include straw, grass clippings, wood chips, shavings, sawdust and spoiled hay. These should be spread 3 to 4 inches deep around pants and between rows.

Mulches can affect crop growth…

Manufactured materials that can be used for mulching include black plastic, aluminum foil, heavy kraft paper, and common newspaper. These man-made materials usually cause soil to warm up quicker and can speed up crop maturity by 7 to 10 days. Organic mulches on the other hand usually cool the soil and can cause a delay in maturity by a few days.

The advantages of organic mulches are their costs are usually less than manufactured mulches and at the end of the season they can be incorporated into the soil as organic matter. While manufactured mulches cost more and usually must be removed at the end of the gardening period, their effectiveness in controlling weeds and grass are considerably better than organic mulches.

For more information on vegetable gardening - cultivation and mulching contact your local County Extension Office.