For the beginning gardener, this is one of the first techniques you should embrace no matter how big or small your garden is. Mulch does lots of great stuff for your plants, and it actually makes your gardening chores easier.
Firstly, a good layer of mulch holds in a lot of moisture. Nice damp soil means healthier plants and less time spent watering for you. This can be particularly vital during those hot summer months when it never seems to rain enough. And don’t worry, as long as the mulch is loose enough, water easily flows through it all to get to the soil. You’re not blocking the water by mulching.
And if that wasn’t enough, you can get a second major benefit from your mulch. If the layer is thick, you’ll also be blocking out all the weeds. In areas where water isn’t a problem, this can still make mulching worthwhile. You’ll need to be diligent though. Any thin spots in your layer and those stubborn weeds will take advantage of it.
What to Use: You don’t need to have any special mulching materials. It just needs to be natural, loose and porous. The usual ingredients are straw, wood chips or even old newspapers. Straw and chips work best. Newspapers can create too tight a layer, and can block incoming water more than you want. Tear them up and keep it fluffy to make good mulch.
You can buy porous fabric that will work fine for mulching, just check at your local garden center. Depending on the shape of the material, you might need to cut small holes for the plants to grow through. The investment may be worth it as you can usually reuse the fabric over a few years.
The Technique: The trick is to get a thick enough layer of mulch. It packs down after a few rains, and can spread out by animals. You’ll want at least 6 inches of material, though you can build up to that over the course of several applications, especially if you are starting with very small seedlings. Don’t smother tiny plants! Thin mulch layers will still help with water retention, but the weeds will happily grow right on through it.