What a fall. We’re more than a quarter of the way through October and we still have not had a frost in many areas of northern New England. Dr. Rick reported only one frost so far at his home at the base of Sunday River in the mountains of Newry, Maine. The warmth isn’t doing much for the intensity of foliage color this year, but it’s a rare treat to be able to enjoy the fresh vegetables and other annuals this long into autumn.
Winter is coming, though, and with it come the questions about fall cleanup and winter mulch. I’m from the school that a) it’s best to clean up and cut back everything in the fall (except your roses; see last week’s tip), and b) I’m not a big fan of running around and mulching everything. If you have a lot of first-year plantings like I do, however, it is necessary to mulch them in the late fall when the ground freezes solidly. Once plants are established for a full season, I prefer to let them fend for themselves in winter just like plants do in nature.
The biggest reason to clean up leaves, twigs, grass clippings etc. in the autumn is that every minute is precious in the spring and you won’t want to waste your time with a rake in your hands. Besides, all those materials will be great additions to the compost pile, which will have a head start on the breakdown process if you gather them now. Be wary of any diseased leaves, but otherwise you can add just about anything to the compost pile. The rule of thumb is: if it used to be living in plant or animal form, it is fair game as compost.
As for mulch materials, my favorite is that compost itself. Because I’m starting a new garden at my new home, I’m having a 45-yard bulk load of compost delivered this fall from Winterwood Farm. This follows the 30-yard load we brought in last fall. I’ll have another load delivered next fall, and the one after that.
The soil here is all marine clay. In areas where we amended with compost last fall, plants did fairly well this year. In other areas, plants simply languished. Adding all the compost we can afford will be part of our regimen for years to come.
If you have good soil already, any number of mulching materials will work, and you’ll find many of them around your home.
Grass clippings — These are ideal provided they don’t contain too many weed seeds and you haven’t applied any synthetic herbicides on your lawn. These toxic chemicals linger on the plants and in the soil and will negatively impact your plants if you use them as mulch.
Hay — In areas where weeds are a problem, or weeding is necessary, it’s best to avoid using hay as mulch. Hay generally contains millions of weed seeds of its own. Straw is a better material, but you might need a second mortgage to buy a few bales at your local garden center or farm store.
Corn stalks — If you have access to a spent cornfield, gather all the stalks you can. Use a few for decorations and chop up the remainder as mulch. Corn is full of nutrients and ideal to suppress weeds.
Leaves — Any foliage will work as mulch; leaves are, after all, nature’s own mulch. It’s best to shred leaves, however. Whole leaves can create a “shingling” effect when they’re wet and packed down. That means they’ll keep out air and moisture and smother the plants below.
Pine needles — For some reason, gardeners have been scared off from pine needles by the myth that they’ll make the soil acidic. It’s simply not true. Because they breathe naturally, allowing water and air down through, will protecting plants and soil, pine needles are ideal. Gather all you can.
Living mulches — Otherwise known as cover crops or green manures, living mulches work best on vegetable gardens that are replanted or tilled anew each spring. Clover is my favorite cover crop, but barley, annual rye and many others work well, too. These materials add nutrients back into the soil when they’re tilled in; as they grow, they keep weeds at bay and help stop any soil erosion. Here is a great web site that explains cover cropping in detail: www.attra.org/attra-pub/covercrop.html.
Paul Tukey - October 11, 2005.
