Dear Garden Guy: Is it ok to use shredded paper as a mulch in my garden. I use it to keep the weeds down but it looks kinda messy. Is it really good for my garden? What are your thoughts?
Dear Garden Guy: Is it ok to use shredded paper as a mulch in my garden. I use it to keep the weeds down but it looks kinda messy. Is it really good for my garden? What are your thoughts?
I will take this opportunity to extol the virtues of placing organic mulches in the garden.
By supporting this practice, you are contributing greatly toward a sustainable ecosystem. Recycling dead weeds, grass clippings, broken down cardboard boxes, chipped branches back onto the soil, instead of the garbage can, will help to create a fertile soil while cutting back on environmental waste.
For example, placing organic mulch on the paths and around each plant or each row in a vegetable garden will help to keep weeds down while slowly releasing nutrients in the soil. Furthermore, mulch, in general, improves soil properties, creates a good environment for all sorts of beneficial microorganisms and conserves soil moisture in a dry period.
There are two drawbacks to this method of mulching:
1. It will take labor. Applying the organic layer is not a one-time occurrence. As the material breaks down, new material must be added.
2. As you mentioned, mulch is not always pretty. Wood chips under trees and between rows of vegetables and flowering plants appears neat and even attractive.
But shredded paper all over the garden? Or dried weeds and cut leaves before they begin to breakdown? Broken down cardboard boxes? Rather “messy.” But these, too, will keep the weeds down and do all the other good things mentioned above.
Important reminder: Do not pile mulch such as grass clippings and wood chips against the trunk of trees, especially citrus. Without air circulation, the damp mulch will aid the growth of a harmful fungus.
Whenever I come across a vegetable for my garden that is low maintenance, grows well on its own and is not attacked by a myriad of pests, I am delighted. One that I have been growing for a couple of years and fits this category is called Oriental green zen. It is a hybrid in the genus Brassica (Mustard). Scientifically, it is Brassica rapa x brassica oleracea capitata, a hybrid cross between cabbage and Oriental mustard spinach (Komatsuna). The species Brassica oleracea includes vegetables such as broccoli, kale, cauliflower and brussels sprouts. Brassica rapa includes turnips, napa cabbage, mizuna, bok choi and tat soil.
This new, fast growing, mildly sweet green can be picked and enjoyed 30 days from sowing. Zen resembles collard greens, but the leaves are larger and more tender, much like lettuce but with a rich, savory taste. It is an excellent source of vitamins A and C. It is resistant to bolting in the summer heat. Early to harvest, zen is dependable for picking all year long.
The leaves can be used at any stage: young leaves in salads, and large leaves used in soups, stir fry and pickling, or simply steamed or boiled. Plants produce oblong-shaped dark green leaves with thick main stems and many side shoots. This plant is excellent for stir fry. Zen is a popular vegetable in Southern China, Indonesia and Asia. Oriental green zen hybrid is thought to originate in Japan.
Oriental green zen hybrid grows as an annual but will live more than one year. The plants thrive in full sun and require water often. No wonder they grow well in Hilo. Oriental green zen hybrid tends to grow best in a soil pH between 5.4 and 7.7.
Hilo resident Nick Sakovich is a professor emeritus of the University of California. He has worked in the field of agriculture for 30 years. Email your questions to Sakovich at askthegarden guy@earthlink.net. You also can visit his website at www.gardenguyhawaii.com.