The Little Things, Impact The Most – Looking After Your Vegetable Garden

The little things in life, impact the most. We all know a break in our routine for a thought to do something nice for someone, a positive comment, a compliment, even just making someone a cup of tea, are little things that make a difference in our daily life.

My husband made a vertical Onion drying rack in our shed which was a lovely example of a little thing that made a big difference and that made me happy this weekend.

In the Vegetable Garden, the small things make a big impact as well.

Weeding

Weeding is like marmite, you either love it or hate it. I prefer to look at it like it is a necessity and that it will make a big difference.

If every time you pop out to have a look in your veg garden, you pull up a few weeds, then you will do a little bit as you go along and you won’t even notice you are doing it.

3 Reasons To Do The Weeding in the Vegetable Garden

1. Small weeds become Big Weeds if left alone.

I’m stating the obvious really but we have all done it, saying I’ll leave the weeding until another day and the weed is now towering above all your plants. At least you can see it now thought right?!

Weeds will take up your vegetables nutrients and water supply. It’s like something muscled its way into your patch and taking over.

Removal of the offending weed is required as a necessity, the sooner the better otherwise you are feeding an invader instead of your vegetable plant.

2. A Weed is a Plant in the wrong place.

Have you ever heard of this saying? Flowering Weeds are sometimes pretty however after the flowers come the seeds. That’s great for the wildlife and the aesthetics however that’s mostly how you get more weeds.

After the flowers come the seed heads and some weeds fling their seeds for miles. Hey presto! Weeds next year and the year after and so on. Your weed problem is now a long term problem.

Removal and moving somewhere else (if entirely necessary) is a necessity, the sooner (before it flowers) is better otherwise you’ll be overrun with weed seeds and baby weeds everywhere.

3. Invasive Weeds like Thistles.

Invasive weeds are the spiky ones, the ones you’ll need your thicker gloves for as they won’t be going anywhere unless they have to.

Invasive Weeds seeds are carried by the wind and birds. These weeds get hold of the ground by sending down a tap root taking up all the nutrients they can find. They are the bullies of the weed world.

Solution: Pull the weed out of the ground making sure you pull up all the Tap Root otherwise they’ll be back! Think more Arnie than Annie in their strength as a weed.

Mulching

What is Mulching?

A Mulch is a covering material like compost, bark, leaf mould, even grass clippings that holds the moisture in the soil for the roots to tap into.

Mulch also adds nutrients to the soil and light bulb moment – Suppresses Weeds! There would be a lot less weeding if you put down Mulch now and then.

How Do I get Rid of my Weeds and help my Plants at the same time?

One Word – Mulch.

There are different types of Mulch to help different soils and plants, here’s a quick list:

Compost

Multi-Purpose Compost (Homemade or bought from shops) can be used on any soil and can be put around any PH neutral loving plants including vegetables to add nutrients, hold moisture and suppress weeds.

Use Acidic Compost for acidic loving plants like azalea and blueberries.

Straw

Straw is an all purpose mulch which is light and breaks down easily. Make sure you use straw and not hay.

Straw can be added to the compost bin which means no waste either.
It keeps plants cool and helps keep the moisture in the soil.

Straw as a Mulch – Do’s: Use on your Vegetable Garden after adding compost. Spread Straw around established plants and leave room round the stem for air flow.

Straw as a Mulch – Don’ts: Don’t use Straw if you have a slug problem as Slugs like Straw. Try ‘Strulch’ instead.

Don’t use Straw if you have small seedlings that have just been planted out as the straw may affect their growth.

Leaf Mold

Leaf Mold is decomposed leaves made into a crumbly mulch.

It’s easy to make your own leaf mold by shredding leaves using a lawn mower and placing in a pile.
Leaves up to two years old can be used as a mulch to cover bare soil.
It suppresses weeds and adds beneficial organisms to the soil.

Leaf Mold as a Mulch – Do’s: Add Leaf Mold around shrubs, trees and vegetables.

Leaf Mold as a Mulch – Don’ts: It does not contain a lot of nitrogen so you will have to mulch with compost first then add Leaf Mold. Also take care with weeds among your leaves (where you pile them up) as you wouldn’t want to add them to your veg garden as a mulch.

Grass Clippings

This is literally the cuttings from your lawnmower when you cut the grass.

You can use them as a mulch to reduce waste and then recycle in your compost bin.

Grass as a Mulch – Do’s: Use dry grass clippings, you can leave the grass clippings on the lawn for a few dry days after mowing before using them. Grass clippings are high in nitrogen so great for adding this component to the soil.

Grass as a Mulch – Don’ts: Don’t mulch with more than 1-2 inches of clippings as it’s forms a crust which could cause mould. Don’t use grass clippings if it has grass seed in it as if you use it as mulch, grass will start growing in your veg garden.

Strulch

Strulch is made from wheat straw and is organic and biodegradable. It has a neutral PH meaning it’s great for all plants. It is cost effective as it last two years but initially it is expensive to buy.

Strulch as a Mulch – Do’s: It is the perfect choice if you have slugs and snails as it says it acts as a deterrent. Great for vegetable gardens, allotments plots, flowers and shrubs. Can be used in no-dig gardening.

Strulch as a Mulch – Don’ts: If adding Strulch to your plot, make sure you don’t sow any seeds under it. Strulch works by blocking out the light so your seeds won’t germinate if covered by Strulch. Don’t spread too thick around small plants or flowers as sometimes it stops them from growing.

Bark Chips

Bark is made from the dried bark off tree trunks, it can be large sized chunks right down to tiny shredded bark chips. It is usually used as a decorative mulch around shrubs, flowerbeds and pots.

Bark as a Mulch – Do’s: It suppresses weeds by blocking sunlight to the soil and tends to stop animals digging in your beds as it is heavy and sharp. Bark chips have a long life and rarely need topping up.

Bark as a Mulch – Don’ts: Bark is acidic so is not suitable for some plants. As bark is so thick as a mulch layer it might draw out nitrogen from the soil meaning your plant leaves may start to turn yellow.

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