# I Have My Gardens All Mulched In Now



## Sawyer Rob (Jul 3, 2014)

Here's the front garden as of a week or so ago,







And the back garden as of a couple days ago,






I have another small spot with a few plants in it too, but I don't have a pict of that one...

Anyway, everything is growing like weeds, the sweet corn is waist high now, ect......so all is good!

SR


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## pete_86 (Jul 19, 2014)

Nice work! Is that hay that you use? How does that do keeping weeds down? I never have used roundup in a garden due to expense and not wanting the chemicals, but after just weeding not too long ago with all the rain we've had you'd never know I weeded. I don't have access to hay, but I've been saving the shavings from my woodshop planer and have several contractor sized bags that I'd rather put to use than pay to have it thrown away.

My gf thinks that the weeds would grow up through as we've mulched with bark mulch before and in a wk had weeds in a flower bed. I have some rolls of drain field fabric leftover from a job and thought of using that. I imagine just like flower beds once you mulch you don't water as often. Do you have good luck with plants staying watered and not having to soak them much with hay? Thanks for info and great work and pics.


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## Sawyer Rob (Jul 19, 2014)

pete_86 said:


> Nice work! Is that hay that you use? How does that do keeping weeds down? I never have used roundup in a garden due to expense and not wanting the chemicals,



Personally, I wouldn't even consider using roundup in my gardens, I don't use any chemicals in my gardens at all, not even chemical fertilizers....

Yes, hay is fine, you just have to put it in heavy! If any weeds are growing through it, it's NOT on heavy enough.

I'll try to get some up dated picts and post them soon, so you can see the progress the gardens have made since I started this post.

SR


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## chuckwood (Jul 20, 2014)

Sawyer Rob said:


> Personally, I wouldn't even consider using roundup in my gardens, I don't use any chemicals in my gardens at all, not even chemical fertilizers....
> 
> Yes, hay is fine, you just have to put it in heavy! If any weeds are growing through it, it's NOT on heavy enough.
> SR



One particularly bad thing that roundup does is that it hampers mineral uptake in your plants. If I've been reading correctly, that's how roundup works when it kills stuff. Roundup can still stay in your soil for a number of years after you apply it. Food that is good for you will also be rich in minerals, we need minerals just like plants do. 

As for hay, one trick I use with it is I place a layer of newspaper down first, then follow up with the hay. The newspaper will rot and be gone by next year, and it will prevent/discourage weeds from growing up into and through the hay. If you are short on papers, you might be able to scrounge some from a recycle center.....


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## pete_86 (Jul 21, 2014)

good ideas guys, I've been gardening few yrs and weeding is always a chore. I think my neighbors would be happy too not to see weeds. Thanks


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## bowtechmadman (Jul 23, 2014)

I also use grass clippings as mulch and weed preventer btw my rows.


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## machinisttx (Jul 23, 2014)

chuckwood said:


> One particularly bad thing that roundup does is that it hampers mineral uptake in your plants. If I've been reading correctly, that's how roundup works when it kills stuff. Roundup can still stay in your soil for a number of years after you apply it. Food that is good for you will also be rich in minerals, we need minerals just like plants do.
> 
> As for hay, one trick I use with it is I place a layer of newspaper down first, then follow up with the hay. The newspaper will rot and be gone by next year, and it will prevent/discourage weeds from growing up into and through the hay. If you are short on papers, you might be able to scrounge some from a recycle center.....



From what I understand, glyphosate(roundup) actually makes the nutrients/minerals inaccessible to plants. Of course, the plant also takes in some of the glyphosate, which then ends up in the fruit/vegetables, and you end up eating glyphosate. There is a lot more out there than this that suggests glyphosate isn't good to have in food... http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/weed-whacking-herbicide-p/

Something to keep in mind is that there is a revolving door between the ag chemical producers/epa/pharmaceutical/FDA. Here's an example, there are more if you want to look. http://ivn.us/2013/02/11/the-revolving-door-fda-and-the-monsanto-company/


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## Sawyer Rob (Aug 25, 2014)

Once again, the mulch did the trick, everything in the gardens is growing/producing like crazy!

My sweet corn is close to 8' tall and I'm getting big ears off every plant. Potatoes are about ready to dig, even though I've been pulling out some big ones to eat for a time now. Beans and everything else is doing great, but the peppers plants are really tall, close to 5' tall... I had to put tomato cages around them to keep them upright,






And the plants are loaded too,






The above pict. is after I picked a pail of them to freeze...

The flowers aren't doing too bad either!






DM


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## cat-face timber (Aug 25, 2014)

Nice garden for sure


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## Sawyer Rob (Sep 8, 2014)

With my gardens winding down, it's time to dig some potatoes! My fav potatoes are Yukon Golds and fingerlings......I have to say, these are the biggest Yukons I've ever raised and I've been raising them on and off for more than 30 years,






It was obvious right away, they were monster size this year,






I put a BIG Stanley Powerlock tape measure by a few, so you could see just how big they are,






It doesn't take too many to fill a bucket!






Aaawwww, now just how am I going to cook those giants to take advantage of their size.... 

SR


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## GrassGuerilla (Sep 8, 2014)

Arlen's potatoes? 
Bacon, sour cream, green onions, lawrys season salt, pepper, topped with some cheese. Cheddars good, we like Colby jack better though. Great side item with any meal. Popular at pot luck dinners, and added to our Thanksgiving regulars. If your counting calories, forget it.

Nice looking garden.


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## cus_deluxe (Sep 24, 2014)

Sawyer Rob said:


> Personally, I wouldn't even consider using roundup in my gardens, I don't use any chemicals in my gardens at all, not even chemical fertilizers....
> 
> Yes, hay is fine, you just have to put it in heavy! If any weeds are growing through it, it's NOT on heavy enough.
> 
> ...


Hay is for horses, straw is cheaper! (cant believe nobody said that yet) . As for me, wood chips are abundantly available from most tree companies almost anywhere and work great for paths in my garden. Straw is available here for $3 or so a small bale and does do wonders for soil moisture as well as weed suppression. Always have to mind C:N ratio of anything you put on garden. (I love this stuff, im an MSU grad with a degree in Crop and Soil Sciences)


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## Sawyer Rob (Sep 24, 2014)

I don't have to buy hay, I have plenty here on my place that I cut myself, as for amending the gardens with anything else, one gets lots of composted cow manure and the corn gets turkey poop/sawdust mixture...

The way I flop things around, everything is happily fed. lol

Thanks for the comments guys,

SR


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