In spring, after big rain, is best time to mulch
Dear Helen: When is the best time to mulch around plants? G.K.
For enhanced moisture retention and fertility in the soil, the best time for applying a nourishing compost mulch layer is in the spring, once the soil has warmed and after a substantial rainfall or a deep watering.
Clean the ground around the plants, cultivate lightly, water, and mulch. Give special attention to drought sensitive and mildew prone plants like summer phlox and roses. Rhododednrons benefit from a post-bloom cleaning and mulching.
At around this time I weed, water and mulch the pea, onion, carrot and beet rows as well, to give them a nutrient and moisture-retention boost as they are developing rapidly.
Dear Helen: I’m curious to know, from your own observations, what are the most common mistakes made by home gardeners. S.T.
It’s very common to see the results of a lack of attention in matching a plant to a site — especially in regard to size. We’ve all seen huge bushes obscuring half the area of front room picture windows.
Gardeners find it extremely difficult to resist the wiles of alluring plants at garden centres. More than once I’ve found myself wandering through the garden, newly purchased plant in hand, searching out a congenial spot for it.
The ideal is to shop for plants with their sites in mind. Nursery clerks will often come up with brilliant suggestions for a particular site you wish to fill.
For a happy plant-location pairing, check labels for a plant’s eventual height and spread and also for its preferred sun exposure and soil type needs. It’s not a bad idea either to inquire about a plant’s maintenance requirements. We don’t all have the time or inclination for tending to the needs of super-fussy, high-maintenance darlings, however winsome, of the plant world.
Another common mistake that I’m surprised to keep coming across is a failure to prepare the soil prior to planting. Unless a site is exceptionally endowed with a naturally fertile, adequately drained, consistently friable loam, a bit of plumping up with additions of compost and fertilizer dug into the soil is needed. In our climate, except for potatoes and acid-loving ornamentals, liming is also beneficial. In most or our coastal soils, generous liming is also needed for growing beets and spinach successfully.
It’s a shame that many people are put off gardening because of sheer discouragement when nothing seems to grow for them. The secret to successful growth lies in the soil. It’s so worth while to spend the time incorporating into the soil luscious organic materials that plant roots and beneficial soil organisms revel in lustily. The actual seeding or transplanting takes little time. Most of the time taken for any planting project should be used in getting the soil ready.