Mulch

How it works

A 5-7 cm layer of straw or compost stops rain splashing soil-borne spores up onto lower leaves, halves evaporation, keeps root temperature steady and suppresses weeds.

Recipe

Straw, grass clippings dried first, leaf mould or compost. Water the ground thoroughly BEFORE mulching.

How to apply

Apply in late spring once soil has warmed, and top up in midsummer. Keep it 5 cm clear of stems.

Targets — pests

Not recorded — the field is blank rather than guessed.

Targets — diseases

Blight splash, Soil-borne leaf spot

Supplies: Straw or compost mulch

Days to harvest after spraying: 0

Best months: April, May, June

Cautions

Mulching dry soil seals the dryness in. Fresh grass clippings applied thickly heat up and go slimy - dry them first.

The thing people get wrong

On a hot coastal garden mulch does more for plant health than any spray. Most summer disease on tomatoes and potatoes starts with soil splashed onto the lowest leaves by irrigation - a straw layer breaks that chain completely, and cuts your watering roughly in half at the same time.