Mulching

Regular weeding is an ongoing task with any vegetable garden and it is not one of our strengths. Always on the lookout for a time saving technique we have tried various mulching processes to reduce weed dominance. Garlic and Onions are very difficult to mulch and tedious to weed. One useful and effective technique we have been using recently is to run old Lucerne through our mulcher producing a fine chaff. This is easily sprinkled over younger seedlings to cover the soil.

Originally used mulch hay but it held too many seeds. Lucerne or straw bypasses that issue.

Our Chipper/Mulcher is over 15 years old and has proven to be a versatile and useful garden tool. Its list of achievements are:

• Chipping and mulching garden prunings
• Chipping fish heads and frames for chook food
• Mulching straw and lucent bales into fine chaff
• Mulching oyster shells and Cuttlefish frames into shell grit for chooks
• Mulching fireplace charcoal into bio char

Spoilt Lucerne

The versatile Chipper/Mulcher

Garlic Mulched with fine Chaff