What is the best mulch to use for tomatoes, and when to apply the mulch?
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debette is pretty well on it. I prefer pine bark to cypress because it's better for the soil (I have clay) as it breaks down. Pine bark also helps acidify my alkaline soil.
Pine is a bit more of a renewable resource, too.. it grows faster than do cypress trees.
I use cypress mulch on just about everything. The mulch is what helps retain moisture in the soil and keeps weeds down. I also add Miracle Gro Moisture Control soil to the holes I dig for my veggies. It also helps retain moisture in the soil.
To us, vegetable gardening is about having fresh and healthy produce for our family. We also try to be frugal about it. The best things to use for mulch are the free things like newspapers and grass clippings. If you keep your lawn trimmed, there will be very few mature grass or weed seeds in the clippings. You can put down some newspapers if you stay away from the slick advertising inserts, that paper is mostly clay and other chemicals. In the US, most printing inks are made with a soy base, so the old cautions about using newsprint with colored inks really doesn't apply anymore. Putting a layer of grass clippings down will make things look better and keep the newspapers from flying about. You will always get a weed or two with mulching, but they are easily taken care of, especially if you take a couple of minutes each morning and walk around the garden with your cup of coffee and pull any that you see. We just lay them on top of the mulch and they become part of the solution. Place the mulch when you plant your tomatoes.
Check out our website for more gardening ideas at-
http://www.gardening-at-the-crossroads.c...
Good Luck and Happy Gardening from Cathy and Neal!
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