Organic mulch is the most eco-friendly option for protecting your crops. There are many options available, and which one you choose depends on your garden itself, along with a bit of personal preference. Scalia’s Landscape is Batavia, New York’s leading lawn maintenance company; below, they offer you more information about organic mulch to help you with your decision.

Guide to Choosing the Best Organic Mulch for Your Garden

Hay

As one of the most common organic mulch types, hay is ideal for vegetable gardens. Hay helps to maintain a moderate soil temperature in extreme heat conditions, helps the soil to retain moisture, and provides a natural habitat for beneficial organisms such as ground beetles. Hay doesn’t suppress most perennial weeds and can sometimes harbor nuisance pests such as slugs and squash bugs.

Straw

Straw is the ideal choice for cool weather crops, like the potato. Straw has a high carbon to nitrogen ration, decomposing slower than most other mulches, which is ideal for keeping vine crops clean. While it carries seeds of the straw itself, it does not contain seeds from most other weeds. 

Tree Leaves, Chipped Brush, Wood Shavings & Bark

High in calcium, tree leaves are an abundant source of readily available mulch after every fall. Tree leaves are often used for vegetable gardens, berries, and some perennials. For a relatively long-lived mulch, chipped brush, wood shavings, or bark are ideal. Each has a high carbon to nitrogen ratio, calcium, and micronutrients, making them ideal for perennial and ornamental perennials, and crops thriving in acidic soil. These forest materials are coarser than other mulches and will require more material to provide adequate weed suppression.

When it comes to protecting your crops and providing the ideal environment for them to thrive, any organic mulch will get the job done. If you are looking for a reputable lawn maintenance company, turn to Scalia’s Landscaping. They have years of experience delivering expert lawn maintenance and some of the most impressive landscape designs around. To learn more about how this company can help, visit them online or call (585) 343-3106.