Mulch Mulch Mulch

OLD FOREST CAMPGROUND ON THE EDGE OF TOWN

SALT SPRING ISLAND

Where the Cowichan Valley meets the Salish Sea! The most important thing you can do at this time of year to build soil health is to mulch your garden for the winter. Mulch is defined as any layer of material applied to the soil surface.

Many different materials can be used for a garden mulch. Natural materials include compost, bark, straw, newspaper, grass clippings. This time of year we have an abundant supply of natural mulch in the form of the stunning deciduous leaves falling on the ground.

Mulching the soil for the winter insulates the soil, providing a more hospitable overwinter home for the beneficial soil organisms, ensuring better survival of the soil ecosystem through the cooler months. It also prevents erosion of the soil, which can occur as a result of rain falling on bare soil or wind blowing the surface soil away. Heavy rainfall on bare ground compacts soil and leaches nutrients. Mulch stops the direct contact of the falling raindrop on the soil, while still allowing some moisture to seep through. In

Mulch Mulch Mulch!

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summertime, mulch actually conserves moisture by reducing evaporative loss!

Mulching is also an easy way to add organic matter to your soil, improving both structure and texture. This reduces the need for cultivation and increases the nutrient holding capacity of the soil, promoting healthy root growth! Applying a natural mulch has the advantage of adding more nutrients to your soil as soil microorganisms break down the organic matter (a process called mineralization).

If you are using Bigleaf Maple or Garry Oak leaves for mulch, run them through the shredder (or lawn mower) before applying to the garden. The large leaves tend to mat together, resulting in too little water reaching the underlying soil.

Lastly, fall leaf mulch provides habitat and food not just for soil organisms, but also for bugs and small insects that make their homes in the leaf litter through the winter. Birds and large insects will feed on these small critters through the winter.

Tamara Dinter, Dinter Nursery General Manager and Soil Enthusiast