The advantages of mulch on a vegetable garden.

[oldherbaceous]

And you could always make some Winter under garments, if there is any over!

They are meant to be very good as a mulch under fruit trees.
Although i would be careful if they were new trees, as being waterproof, it might stop the rain getting down to the new root system.

[Nature's Babe]

Hi OH, me and woolly undies don't get on, as a child I was sickly fequent pneumonia and Mum tried that but as I said to her, they fidget me! Still can't wear wool next to my skin!
Most of my fruit trees have been in at least a couple of years, so they might benefit from a wool mulch ? I just moved the mulch to put in some carrot seed and fill a few gaps, there were lots of tiny worms right on the surface.
I have gherkins cabbage, kale, flowers leaks and beans all in the same bed, and now carrots, hopfully that will fool any pests, diversity seems to lower the risk of pests, where a large block of anything seems like an invite to a feast. I planted some red cabbage which are not supposed to attract the cabbage butterflies, so far so good, they are already more than 2ft accross look very healthy and are starting to heart up.

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Nature's Babe, i've been thinking about what i said about using the sheeps wool as a mulch.
Well telling you how to mulch, would be like telling me how to be mischievous.

I'm the same with wool touching my skin, but it left me feeling frigid.

[Nature's Babe]

ROFL OH... I guess it left you cold, but my first thoughts flew to the other meaning...giggles, and I have never used wool as a mulch...do tell!

[Nature's Babe]

Well I just had an email to say i am first in line for the fleeces, Yay!
Have collected three huge sacks of anti slug mulch, Southdown sheep lots of brown and white wool, no doubt the birds will nick some for nesting.

[alan refail]

Hi NB

Just a thought - if you could post some pictures of your no-dig mulched beds, I am certain it would be an inspiration to vegetable growers new and old. It's interesting hearing your descriptions, but hard to visualise.

What's the old saying? A picture's worth....

[Nature's Babe]

Hi Alan, at the moment I don't have a camera mine was stolen last time out so when I have some more respite care i will get another, till then here is a link that shows similar... well from the original video where I picked up the method because I liked her reasoning. I still have some old wooden beds, from before, but as they wear out I am changing over. I still mulch the tops of the old beds, but we used well weathered old floor joists for most of those and they are lasting pretty well, I prefer no boards like hers. Stuff grows so rapidly though you can't see much of the mulch now!

link to video on synergistic gardening method -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSKilNcmoVE

[alan refail]

Hi NB

Very sorry to hear of the theft of your camera. Such a pity. I had, of course, seen the video before and had just hoped people could see how the system works in practice for you rather than a demonstration film. Hope you can get another camera soon.

[Nature's Babe]

Thank you Alan, at the moment all that can be seen is a mass of plants, next year I may do some time lapse ones, with, the beds before planting, plants going in , and progress week by week. I thought I had allocated reasonable space for each plant, but even the borage has grown 3.5 ft tall, with nine flower bracts, yes, I measured it tonight I don't remember borage growing that size before, the borage plants were a gift so I don't even know what seeds were used. The outdoor tomatoes are still only about 3ft tall but sturdy.

[Nature's Babe]

A few weeks on and thanks to some rain at last, growth has been phenominal using rootgrow combined with synergistic beds has surpassed my expectations, and next year I plan to allow more spacing between plants, as all this growth has rather overcrowded the beds. its all looking healthy despite the overcrowding. Even the cabbages which apparently do not have a symbiotic relationship with mycelium are now in excess of three feet accross and are hearting up.

[Johnboy]

For the ten thousanth time Jimmy stop exagerating!
JB.

[alan refail]

Just found this set of photos of synergistic beds.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/16106354@N ... 282778072/

[Nature's Babe]

Ha Ha you guys! What I am doing is trying to work wiith the natural functions of the soil and I am seing the benefits, now I am trying to understand how it works, yesterday I found this scientific article by Dr Elaine Ingham who has researched the soil food web which was hard graft to read but goes some way to explain natural systems within the soil, without which you and I would not even exist, I am humble enough to know I don't know everything and to learn from nature. This was proper research
by a qualified researcher, not some backyard experiment, and proved very interesting reading.

http://www.soilfoodweb.com/sfi_approach1.html

Johnboy you might find this has applications for your oak tree planting.

[alan refail]

Ha Ha you guys!

Hmm! Didn't think I was joking!

With an unusual term such as "synergistic beds" I think it's really useful to have a visual explanation such as the series I linked to, especially the finished bed:-

[Nature's Babe]

Alan I guess that's because you post so often I have a mental picture you with permanently rolling eyes. ( check out the butterfly thread ) If you can find the time to actually read that research link it is fascinating.

Synergy refers to the method not just the beds Alan. Synergy is created when things work in concert together to create an outcome that is in some way of more value than the total of what the individual inputs is. In this case working in concert with natural soil web systems produces X ...favouring maximised results, if you read the article you will see that lower in the progression of the system it can favour disease