Whether you’re growing a large-scale garden at your corporate headquarters or your employees enjoy their endeavors at home, and are supported by a corporate entity, cover crops (living mulch or “green manure”) or using mulch, are both something that should be considered.
Both of these practices have their benefits for soil and keeping weeds out. You’re basically covering the ground in both instances.
What are the major benefits of mulch or living mulch (cover crops)?
- Keeps weeds out of the garden naturally.
- Both help mitigate soil erosion.
- Both help keep soil healthy between growing seasons.
How to get started wtih mulch?
Living mulch: Living mulch or cover crops are things that can be grown for the protection of soil. In some instances, you can grow cover crops, even while your growing your main cash crops above that, such as basil (on the lower area) and peas. It’s anything, really, that don’t interfere with each other. In the case of the combination mentioned here, the farmer can harvest both crops, so there is a synergy there.
Other living mulches include legumes and clover. Farmers can also use rye and oats or peas. Vetch can also work as a cover crop.
Mulch: Mulch is essentially organic matter that the farmer would throw on top of the soil to protect it. Organic mulches includ wood chips and leaves, along wtih grass clippings. Inorganic mulches, though available, are not advisable for your garden area, or trees. Things such as rock and other inorganic materials don’t benefit plants.