Mulch

Yesterday's post got me to thinking about mulch. It does more than just keep weeds from sprouting. It helps prevent soil erosion and increases water absorbency. Raindrops fall at 20 mph, and if they directly hit the soil, the soil particles will separate. The silt will clog the soil line and the water will, for the most part, run off instead of sinking in. When there is a heavy rain on bare soil, the run-off water can carry away topsoil, too. Wind erodes bare soil, as we have seen in our Valley. When we get a strong wind, visibility is like when we have heavy fog. That dust is the topsoil that has become airborne.

I have seen pictures of old farms, that show the little dugout house that originally was below ground level. After many years of farming and erosion, where nothing was added back to the soil, the farmer steps down from his front door to the soil level.

Mulch helps the soil retain all of the moisture it receives, there no run-off at all, and it drains down quickly. The soil is not exposed, so there is no wind erosion. Because the soil stays moist, earthworms flourish (other organisms, too). The mulch slowly breaks down feeding the earthworms and the plants. When the earthworms consume the mulch they turn it into a rich fertilizer that plants thrive on. All of this is an easy way to have a bountiful vegetable garden!