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U^^^^j HOME GARDENING GUIDE [3^^351 



Green Manuring 

 a way to save weeding 



A big help in reducing the amount of 

 ■weeding necessary is the use of a green 

 manure mulch on any patch of soil not 

 being used. Whenever you remove one 

 crop from your garden plot and won't 

 use it again for at least several weeks, 

 sow that spot with winter rye. Winter 

 rye is not to be confused with rye grass. 



The right cover crop to use is the regu- 

 lar cereal grain — winter rye. Plant about 

 5 lbs. to 1,000 square feet to produce a 

 thick stand that will crowd out weeds. 

 This green mulch or cover crop will take 

 up any unused fertilizers in the soil, and 

 will store them in the leaves of the rye. 

 Then the following spring when the rye 

 is plowed under, this fertilizer returns 

 to the soil and can be used by the suc- 

 ceeding crop. If the ground lies unused, 

 most of this plant food will be lost down 

 the drains. And because a heavy stand 

 of rye will crowd out weeds, you should 

 have a cleaner garden with less work the 

 next year. 



Mulching vs. Cultivation 



Sometimes half-truths are as good as 

 whole ones. The furor created by the 

 book, "Ploughman's Folly," which advo- 

 cated a trash mulch at the surface, made 

 sense as far as the mulch was concerned. 

 By plowing or digging in the conven- 

 tional . way and then mulching, the home 

 gardener can take advantage of good soil 

 preparation, plus the very real saving in 

 labor that comes from using a mulch. 

 With the right mulch, there is no need 

 to weed, no need to stir the soil, and 



once that mulch is applied, the need for 

 watering (at least in normal seasons) is 

 all but over. This should save hours of 

 valuable time. 



How to Mulch 



A mulch is merely a covering of some 

 material which won't support weed 

 growth, and which is porous enough to 

 trap air. This porous quality is important 

 because it keeps down the loss of mois- 

 ture from the soil and also keeps the 

 heat of the sun from penetrating deeply 

 and hurting root growth. 



A perfect mulch is well-rotted, old 

 manure. Never use fresh manure for a 

 mulch because it will ferment and rot, 

 and some of the gases released in this 

 process can damage plants. But, when 

 well-rotted, manure not only keeps down 

 weeds and saves moisture, but can be 

 worked into the soil after the growing 

 season is over. 



If grass clippings are allowed to lie 

 on the lawn for a day or two to cure, 

 they can be applied in thin layers, and 

 gradually built up to form a thick mulch. 

 If not dried, they may ferment and cause 

 trouble. 



Peat moss, if moist when applied, and 

 if kept moistened, makes a perfect mulch. 

 But since it may suck water away from 

 the plants unless already moist, it must 

 never be applied bone dry, nor should 

 it be allowed to dry out. It is clean, 

 weed-free and a good insulator. 



Vermiculite, buckwheat hulls, rice hulls, 

 ground corn cobs and clean straw are 

 other materials that are satisfactory. 



When to Mulch 



Most gardeners wait too long to mulch. 

 The soil should be moist, but not wring- 

 ing wet. If spring rains have made the 

 ground soggy, wait until you can culti- 

 vate without packing, and then apply. If 

 the ground is dry, soak the soil thorough- 

 ly before mulching. 



Mulching and Watering 



Always keep in mind that a mulch does 

 not add any water to the soil, nor does 

 it prevent the loss of water through the 

 leaves of the plant. If rains heavy 

 enough to penetrate the mulch do not 

 fall, then you will have to water. This 

 can be done by removing the nozzle 

 from the hose and allowing it to flow 

 out on top of the mulch. If the mulch 

 is thick enough, there should be no 

 washing of the soil. 



Clean straw or dried grass used as a 

 mulch under tomatoes will keep the fruit 

 clean, and in addition will save the labor 

 of staking. 



Permanent vegetable storage space, 

 either in the basement or outdoors 

 will help extend the usefulness of the 

 garden. This can also be used to keep 

 tulip and other spring-flowering bulbs 

 over summer, and for storing tender 

 flowering plants like tree roses over 

 winter. Often a hillside can be used 

 to advantage, allowing access on a 

 level with the floor of the storage 

 room. In planning outdoor storage, re- 

 member convenient access from the 

 house. 



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