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About Applegater. (Jacksonville, OR) 2008-current | View Entire Issue (July 1, 2021)
Applegater Summer 2021 9 DIRTY FINGERNAILS AND ALL This is a dirty cover-up story BY SIOUX ROGERS Sioux Rogers “Hmmm, sounds interesting. Are you covering up with a big old trench coat? Or bib overalls?” Actually, I am using old sleeping bags, old blankets, old rugs, cardboard, old clothes, stacks of newspaper, poop—in abundance (from animals, that is). Left photo: To keep your soil from doing this... Sure, I have forgotten Right photo: …it helps to do this: Cover the soil half of the cover-ups, with mulch (straw, in this case)! but not to worry, will Photos: Via Wikimedia Commons (left) and Yahoo Images. remember later. I am a hard-core mulcher. Predictions of severe drought have made and earthworms (my favorite in-the-dirt me take notice of the water requirements friends). Mulching is a win-win activity. in my garden. I have a very thirsty garden, Worms have a new menu for dining, I embarrassingly admit. It is very lush. and the underground soil is friable and Mulch is used for many reasons. I am nourished while you just glow at your most interested in moisture retention glorious, functional, and healthy garden. and weed control. Aside from those You may notice your sandy soil, after a two purposes, mulching has numerous short while, holds together and retains (definition of “numerous” is more toes water. Your clay soil now is soft and fluffy, and fingers than I have for counting) and water does not run off. This is an benefits, such as keeping foot traffic from indication of healthy and friable soil. compacting the soil, making sure plants Mulches I have known and loved (no aren’t splashed by mud with water on non- snickering please) include carrot pulp porous soil, and preventing soil erosion. left over from carrot juice, and okara, a Anyhow, what is “mulch”? waste product from soy. To clarify: I got Mulch is a layer of organic, or inorganic, truckloads of carrot pulp from a juice material spread over the surface of ground. factory. It is fabulous mulch. The okara Considering just the organic kind, was from the not-there-any-more tofu not plastic, rubber, or something else not factory in Ashland. Okay, so those were made by Mum Nature—organic mulches weird. Here are some of the other organic will eventually break down. This makes mulches I have or could have used: straw the soil a lovely place for micro-nutrients from the chicken coop, rice hulls, all kinds of animal manure, leaves, grass clippings, wood chips, horse stable gleanings, cardboard, and newspaper. When I mulch, I usually aim for a two-inch cover. I like to mulch everywhere I see the need. So what makes me jump into mulch mode? Cracked ground, for one thing, is a “get-to-it” sign that grabs my attention. Areas where I cannot seem to keep the vegetation happy because it’s always thirsty are another indication mulch is needed. These are all indications of lack of organic matter in the soil, so… I mulch. I idolize Ruth Stout, who wrote How to Have a Green Thumb Without an ● WE DELIVER ● YOU LOAD ● WE PICK UP Yep, it’s that easy! Ac h i n g B a c k . He r s e c re t ? Mulching. So let’s mulch. Your garden’s overall health may be dependent on this “exercise.” Mulching is not all just la-de- da perfect and free from concern. For example, mulching with an organic material, say grass clippings filled with weed seeds, is not a great idea, as they (the weed seeds) will be very happy and grow. Mulching with wet and compacted organic material, such as grass (again), can have the opposite effect from your planned agenda. The grass can mat down, making it difficult for water to penetrate. It can draw nutrients from the soil as it decays. It may become very odiferous as it is decaying. (That was just a “grassroots” example; make sure your mulch is dry.) As for the opening paragraph, mentioning my mulching with old sleeping bags, rugs, and trench coats, let’s clarify. I do not mulch with old underwear in my vegetable garden, flower garden, or front lawn. I use the old rags, rugs, blankets, etc., for large areas where I want to eliminate (ha ha ha) weeds. This area could be the large spaces, as in my rose garden, or the flat space in my “other” garden. You get the idea? Mulch for water’s sake, it is a win-win. “Gardening is cheaper than therapy and you get tomatoes.” Sioux Rogers dirtyfingernails@fastmail.fm MOVING • REMODELING • STORING HOME STAGING • RESTORATION Looking for a better way to store your items? Call us to learn more and get a free quote! Serving Josephine & Jackson counties 541.659.1800 ● GoMinisSouthernOregon.com ► Use PROMO CODE AG10 for $10.00 off initial delivery. ◄