Page 37 - Simply Vegetables Spring 2022

trees can be mulched, remember not to have the mulch touching the tree bark.
If the trees are established and the area weedy use an inorganic mulch to kill the weeds or grasses. If sufficient mulch is available apply organic mulches to a depth of 100mm as it will last longer.
Bush fruit like black, red and white currants or gooseberries are mulched similar to trees with the mulch placed around individual plants or along the rows, this can save a lot of weeding and reduces any watering required. If using a textile mulch, it can just be pinned down along each side of the plants if they are already established making sure
MULCHING VEGETABLES
This is far less common than mulching
fruit but is occasionally used commercially and by some gardeners. Starting with the perennial vegetables these can be mulched as for fruits (see above), this includes rhubarb, asparagus, artichokes (all types) etc. and the whole growing area mulched in the spring before growth commences using an organic material.
Moving onto the annual vegetables
any grown at wide spacings like peas, runner and French beans and some of the Brassicas can easily be mulched along the rows or the whole area mulched. As these
tree fruits. All of these can be mulched around using any of the above mulches and there are special mulch mats available for fitting around each tree. A mulch mat is a square of material that is fitted and pegged down around each tree and prevent any weed or grass growth as well as reducing evaporation from the soil adjacent to the tree. They are particular useful when planting trees as they help establishment. Trees can have a 1 metre circle of mulch around each tree or if the trees are in rows the whole row under the
Cane fruits, mulch as
above and if they are
planted against a wall mulch out to 60 to 75cm. Raspberries can be mulched both sides of the row out to 60 cm each side and 50 to 75mm deep, keep it away from the canes as it will rot them.
Strawberries can be mulched with straw, hence their name but this tends
to encourage slugs therefore use textile mulches instead and these keep the fruit clean and being black absorb the heat which helps to ripen the berries as well as making weeding easier.
Other fruits whether grape vines, wineberries etc will all benefit from mulching.
shaped wire pins approx. 20cm long. The cardboard eventually rots and is taken
into the soil by the various soil fauna, but
it allows the crop to establish and reduces weed growth as well as being very cheap if you have a supply of cardboard boxes.
Looking at a typical row of lettuce, beetroot carrots etc. the row spacing is only 25 to 30cm so the mulching would need
to be strips of material laid along the row and pinned into place or use a fine organic mulch of sieved compost, spent hops or mushroom compost to a depth of 50mm.
In the greenhouse / polytunnel tomatoes, peppers and aubergines can be mulched to
no gaps are left between the plants. Again, avoid the mulch touching the stems and if possible, mulch for approx. 60cm each side of the plants and to a depth of 50 to 100mm. If mulching blueberries use an acidic mulch like pine needles to maintain the acid nature of the soil.
Cardboard is a useful mulch in the vegetable area as appearance is less important
crops cover a wide area, they will require a large amount of organic mulch so they could be mulched with an inorganic mulch by laying strips of the material along the rows with a gap where the crop is sown / planted.
Cardboard is a useful mulch in the vegetable area as appearance is less important, it just needs pinning down with U
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