APRIL 13 / MAY 18, 2022
REDSTONE • REVIEW
PAGE 11
INTEREST Mulch mania, mulch madness at Rocky Mountain Botanic Gardens By Garima Fairfax and Jessie Berta-Thompson Redstone Review LYONS – Visitors to the Rocky Mountain Botanic Gardens sometimes remark on the sprawling wild sunflowers or the lovely stonework. But when passers-by meet volunteers hard at work, they ask about one topic above all others – mulch. The garden is a mulchy place. A mountain of mulch sits across from the entrance, a byproduct from the Boulder County fire-mitigation lumber sort yards. Hundreds of volunteer hours have gone into spreading mulch one wheelbarrow at a time. The look will change as plants grow, but for now, visually, it’s a lot of mulch. For those wondering, we’d like to take a moment to share some details of the garden’s mulch-fueled soil care regimen. Soil at this site started out as very rocky sand. We’ve used a cardboard and woodchip mulch system to build soil and suppress weeds. Useful for any garden low in organic matter, this process entails removing weeds, spreading compost, laying down cardboard, and topping with a few inches of woodchip mulch. With all the layers, this is sometimes called lasagna mulching, though exactly what gardeners use for pasta, sauce, and cheese varies. We began soil prep by pulling up weeds and removing weed seed heads. During initial flood clean up, Boulder County land managers had already spread two inches of compost at the site. This wetlands restoration technique enhances plant growth and soil water absorption. Compost improves soil structure, adds nutrients, and is teeming with beneficial microorganisms. Next, we covered the garden with overlapping layers of cardboard weighted with rocks. A sustainable alternative to weed fabric, cardboard makes a fantastic garden material because it’s free, easy to find, and biodegradable, plus earthworms love it. Anything we do to help the worms is good for our gardens. They build, oxygenate, and enrich the soil. Standard weed fabric is not biodegradable, and, after a few years of wear, its lets the weeds through anyway.
B •R •I •E •F •S Continued from Page 7
Summit Housing – Lyons Valley Townhomes LYONS – Summit Housing has begun mobilization for the affordable housing development located near McConnell and Carter Drive. Lyons Valley Townhomes (Summit Housing) has submitted the security bond for the public improvements and was issued the ROW permit to begin construction on the infrastructure por-
It is not beneficial for soil life and ultimately ends up in landfills, while cardboard becomes fluffy humus. For this application, it’s good to use plain brown cardboard and to remove staples and tape. The cardboard should be in direct contact with the ground. Over the cardboard, we spread several inches of woodchip mulch. Mikl Brawner at Harlequins Gardens native plant nursery in Boulder recommends woodchip mulch because it supports soil microorganisms better than commonly used bark mulch. In addition to slowing weeds and giving a finished look, mulch benefits a garden by regulating soil temperature and moisture. Mulch buffers the soil from our region’s giant daily swings in air temperature and scorching summer heat, reducing stress on plants. Mulch helps with water retention by shielding soil from hot sun and dry winds. It also prevents heavy rains (or hose spray) from directly hitting the soil surface, protecting the structure of the topsoil. As the cardboard and mulch slowly decompose, they turn into a beautiful crumbly layer of soil. After three years of treatment, more and more often when a shovel explores beneath the mulch at the garden, it finds damp dark soil full
tion of the project. A blasting permit is under application; the permit has not been approved yet. When it is approved, there will be an update to the HOA and via eblast. Project website will be updated once dates are available. Interested residents can learn more at the town website, www.townoflyons.com.
Transportation options with Via for seniors LYONS – On Tuesdays Via will transport Lyons residents who are seniors or have disabilities to Longmont and back during the hours
of earthworms. Over time, we will add mulch on top but won’t need to replace the cardboard beneath. Weeds like open, disturbed ground, where they can easily take hold. With an established mulch layer, the natives we plant will grow and spread, and the weeds won’t have a chance. That covers the main soil improvement steps, but there’s a next step we don’t take – one onto the beds. Avoiding walking on planted areas, especially when wet, is one of the best things we can do to support plants. This prevents the soil from being compressed. Good garden soil should be about 50 percent air. Uncompacted soil allows water to penetrate freely, gives roots air and space for growth, and makes it easier for earthworms to tunnel. Our fluctuating winter temperatures freeze and thaw the soil, which fluffs it up by springtime. It’s such a gift to have the soil naturally aerated at the beginning of each growing season. Careful garden design can preserve this structure. In Four Season Harvest, farmer-author Eliot Coleman writes “I like to have two distinct areas in the garden: space in which to walk and space in which to grow.” This can be achieved with pathways or steppingstones. When planting, instead of compressing the soil around a new plant, a thorough watering can help the soil gently settle into place. At the botanic gardens, we don’t use chemical fertilizers or bug sprays. These can kill off the earthworms and microbes that are the authentic heroes of building rich garden soil. We do add all-purpose organic fertilizer with each planting, which is important to supplement the carbon-rich mulch additions. When you use mulch in your garden and have healthy soil, your plants will thrive, and gardening becomes a true pleasure. Garima Fairfax is the founder/originator curator of the Rocky Mountain Botanic Gardens in Lyons. Jessie Berta-Thompson studied algae in school, and loves gardening and learning about plants. She currently serves as Treasurer on the Rocky Mountain Botanic Gardens board and as an Adjunct Researcher at the Denver Botanic Gardens, where she works on the diversity and evolution of Colorado mushrooms.
of 8 a.m. 4:30 p.m., free of charge. From Wednesdays through Fridays, Via will transport Lyons residents within the town of Lyons during the hours of 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. This means Via will pick up/transport from a Lyons residence, take you somewhere in town, and bring you back to your Lyons home. This would be a great option for getting to/from lunch at Walter Self. You must live within the town proper (Via will go as far west as Apple Valley Rd.) If you aren’t sure, you can call them to find out. To schedule a ride, you must call at least 48
hours in advance (up to seven days ahead of time) and there are no same-day calls. You also need to cancel if your plans change. Call 303444-3043 for help and reservations..
4th Avenue Bridge to be completed soon LYONS – “From discussions with the contractor, we feel that the pedestrian bridge will be completed in late May and the overall project (sidewalks, curb ramps, trail work etc.) to be Continue Briefs on Page 14
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