CHAPTER VII 



Mulching, Renovating the Old Bed 



In gardening parlance "to mulch" means 

 to cover the surface of the soil with any 

 material, such as leaves, loose earth, hay 

 or straw, so as to protect the roots of the 

 plants from frost, loss of water by evapora- 

 tion or weed growth, etc. As used in the 

 sense of mulching strawberries, it will mean 

 the covering of the plants with organic matter, 

 such as dead vines, hay, straw, leaves, etc., in 

 the fall for winter and early spring protection. 



material used for mulching 



There is a great variety of materials 

 used for mulching. Nature's mulch is the 

 debris of fallen leaves, grass, and other litter. 

 In the grain-growing sections, wheat, barley, 

 or oat straw is used quite extensively; near 

 marsh land, either salt or fresh, the coarse 

 hay taken from these places is used. 

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