The word “mulch” comes from the old English word “melsc” – meaning rotten hay. In today’s language it has come to mean any material that covers the soil to preserve moisture content, prevent soil erosion and inhibit weed growth. For organic gardening I choose materials that will break down over time, feeding my plants and contributing to the amount of humus in the soil.

Many materials are suitable to use as mulch, such as: leaves, straw / hay, sawdust, gravel / rocks, paper / cardboard, grass clippings, carpet underfelt and even plastic. Each one has its own benefits and disadvantages.

Dark mulches warm the soil, whereas light coloured mulches will keep the soul cooler. In a cool climate a light straw mulch will hold back the development of many hot season vegetables – so take care with your choice of mulch and the time of year you apply it.

I’ve heard it said that mulches can be a refuge for problem garden pests, but nature balances this with enough predators to consume any rise in pest numbers.

Leaves are the most natural mulch of all. However most of the nutritional content has been taken from the tree before the leaf falls to the ground. Many leaves contain tannins and some have growth suppressants (eucalypts & pine needles for example), so it’s better to either add them to your compost heap or place them in a wire container and allow them to decompose for a year or so and become leaf mould, them use as mulch.

Straw / Hay is my preferred method of mulching in my organic food garden. The main advantage over many mulches is that it slowly releases nutrients to feed the plants it surrounds. One disadvantage is that hay may contain weed seeds, but they are usually easy to pull. That is why I prefer pea straw – usually the only weeds are peas and they add nitrogen to the soil. Another problem can be that it may become water repellent. But this is not a problem if you trickle or flood irrigate your food plots.

Sawdust is probably best used by composting it before laying as a mulch as it may rob the soil of nitrogen if your soil is poor to begin with. Also, it can become water repellent. However if you have a good supply it makes an excellent soft, natural looking covering for pathways.

Gravel / Rocks are best used outside of your veggie garden unless you live in a cool climate area and use them around warm climate plants, such as pumpkins and tomatoes. Rocks store heat from the sun during the day and slowly release it through the night.

They can also be used in arid areas around larger plants and trees. Water condenses on the underside of the rocks as they cool during the night helping to keep plants moist.

The disadvantage with rocks is that weeds will grow around them.

Paper / Cardboard are both quite useful as mulches. I often use thick layers of newspaper (which I wet before laying) underneath pea-straw or pine bark. The layers need to overlap about 15cm to prevent weeds from coming through. Don’t use pages with coloured ink as they may contain heavy metals.

Cardboard can make a great mulch under young trees. You can secure it with rocks in a decorative way in addition to straw or bark. Using cardboard beneath sawdust for your garden paths will prevent most weeds.

Grass clippings can be utilised as a thin mulch under trees and shrubs that will feed your plants as it breaks down. Take care not to pile on too thickly though as you will end up with a water repelling, smelly blob!

Carpet underfelt makes an excellent mulch in your organic garden. It won’t blow away, it’s easy to cut to insert your seedlings, it allows air to penetrate and it holds moisture very well. You must make sure that it is the older underfelt though, not the modern foam type.

Black plastic has the advantage of being cheap, easy to install and a great weed suppressor, but its disadvantages are many. It doesn’t feed the soil, it deteriorates with direct sunlight and doesn’t allow the natural gas exchanges between the air and soil.

Whatever your choice of mulch, your organic garden will be more productive and well balanced if you choose a feeding kind of mulch. Remember too that mulches should not come into contact with the stems of you plants as this may cause them to rot.

Plants, growing in the containers, will develop two types of the roots: the upper one, which will uptake plant nutrients from the upper part of the medium; and the lower roots, which will reach the lava rock part of the growing medium.

The upper root system is primary; it includes web-like thin roots that look similar to those that develop in the plants grown in the standard soil. They absorb multiple nutrients, thus ensuring the flourishing of a plant and its normal growth. The lower roots that are secondary will grow in the lower part of the medium (which can be lava rock, sand, gravel, perlite or pumice). These look typically to the hydroponically grown plants: long, rope-like, and stringy. These roots mainly absorb water; in addition, they receive much oxygen between watering cycles, which leads to the improved nutrients metabolism and faster growth.

These days hydroponics gardening gains more and more popularity in different parts of the world. More and more people become fascinated with this way of plants growing. Due to the constantly increasing interest in hydroponics, new methods and techniques of this gardening type appear. They are all aimed at the easing of the process of plants growing, improving the fruits, vegetables, and greens quality and taste, as well as at the making the whole process as eco-friendly as possible. Indeed, the new techniques try to solve the problem of hard-to-dispose used materials (as rockwool) and chemically-laden water and other wastes. Moreover, the primary goal of today hydroponics is to use exclusively organic materials, which offer the benefits in the crops quality and work of a gardener. 

Not so long time ago gardeners were amazed by such hydroponics methods as Nutrient Film/Flow Technique, Ebb and Flow, Aeroponics, and even Semi-Organic Hydroponics. These days the leader of this gardening is Totally Organic Hydroponics, which major benefit is the possibility to grow 100% pure organic garden plants.

There are interesting ways to bring life to your home besides the family and friends who gather there. An aquarium chock full of lively fish swimming about add motion yet tranquility to the atmosphere of a home. An indoor garden system is another way of adding life to the atmosphere of a home. It can be used to produce a variety of vibrant, colorful flowers or helpful herbs. The flowers produced will add color and fragrance to the family home. The herbs produced by an indoor garden system can add flavor to the family cooking and some medicinal value as well.

Great tools for constructing an indoor garden system are available so people will be able to garden in their homes. A garden system in the right conditions can grow plants without any soil whatsoever by following the appropriate procedures, using the right equipment and choosing the right plants. This system provides alternatives to the traditional ways of gardening. The role of the soil and water in growing plants is important in traditional methods. The indoor garden system produces plants in different, innovative ways.

An Indoor Garden System Produces Throughout The Year

This system replaces the soil and water with other substances for plants that grow heartily. The indoor garden system provides lights, nutrients, temperature and other important factors. Scientists that have studied plants have developed these gardens, and they have simplified their information for those interested in growing plants in their homes. People who want to use one of these systems do not have to have a comprehensive knowledge of the science behind the systems if they follow the directions from the experts who have developed the systems.

Indoor gardens become more popular on a regular basis so the tools for building them are improved upon constantly. There are many different systems that you can choose. The ones available offer varying types of plants, flowers or herbs. These systems can be small self-contained, miniature gardens with a selection of herbs or plants. Some gardeners prefer setting up their own space using the lights, containers, nutrients and instructions from the experts. Indoor garden systems have become more popular because they work. The flowers and plants grow and thrive under the care of amateurs. The gardens provide a great feeling of accomplishment to the person in charge.

If you’re looking for a great hobby that will offer you self satisfaction, a healthy and happy living environment then this type will certainly entertain you day after day.

hydroponic plants receive all the nutrients they need for growing and fruiting from the growing liquid with all the nutrients dissolved in it. Hydroponic nutrients are available in great variety at specialized hydroponic stores. By the way, both chemical nutrients and organic nutrients can be used for the needs of hydroponic gardening. The only thing to remember is that organic fertilizers require more skills, time, and attention to use them effectively.

Hydroponic gardening allows anyone to grow organic vegetables, fruits, and flowers. A little research, learning and training, combined with enthusiasm, will soon bring the first success in hydroponics to you.

Today, there are many ready-made hydroponic systems available on the market. They are not too expensive, but such systems can really help to make an easy start in hydroponic gardening. For the beginning gardeners it is even recommended to choose simple inexpensive hydroponic systems – they are enough to give you the necessary experience. Of course, you can always build you own system to suit all your particular growing conditions and requirements, when you have enough experience and understanding of how hydroponic system works.

If organized properly, hydroponics gardening can even be easier than traditional plants growing. For example, with hydroponic system it is much easier and less time-consuming to test and maintain the necessary pH level in comparison to the regular soil gardening, where even the pH level testing can be a very challenging task, not speaking about maintaining it on the required steady level.  

After all, it is necessary to remember, that in spite of the fact that hydroponics differs significantly from traditional gardening, it is nothing but an alternative approach to grow the same fresh, tasty, and healthy food. Just spend some time to research the topic, evaluate all the benefits of hydroponic gardening – and you will see that there are many advantages offered by hydroponics. Growing healthy organic vegetables without polluting and exhausting fertile soils is definitely one of them.