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How do I put down groundcover when my ground keeps flying away???

 
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My lawn is a literal patch of dirt blowing away in the wind. Sparse grass, barely a single weed. I want to put down a groundcover over this dirt so I can build soil.

Problem: seeds blow away in the wind and plants are killed by the sun.

Solution: I sheet mulched it

Next problem: I don't have unlimited sheet mulch, could only do 1/4 of it

Whatever: Grow groundcover on that mulch

Next problem: My family want to mow the lawn. I cannot convince them otherwise. Trust me I tried everything

Solution?: They agree to avoid my 1/4 patch of mulch and mow the rest

Worse problem: that mulch is now the only habitat for every single bug and pest you can imagine that eats up every single plant & seed & seedling. And IF anything survives, the sun nukes it

So yeah I kinda don't know where to start, I'm still new to this, does anyone have words of wisdom??
 
steward
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Location: USDA Zone 8a
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What are you using for sheet mulch?

My suggestion would be to wood chips.

Here are some threads that you or others might find interesting:

https://permies.com/t/13429/Wood-chip-mulch-promote-insect

https://permies.com/t/206801/Mulching-Comparison-Experiment

https://permies.com/t/208993/Wood-Chip-Win
 
pollinator
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Location: 18° North, 97° West
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Hi Alex,
It sounds like you are in a dryland area?
First you need to plant the water. I highly suggest you get the first volume of Brad Lancaster's Rainwater harvesting for drylands. Rocks are your friends. They can help create windbreaks and resulting micro climates. You do not need to do the whole thing at once, but start with an even smaller area and slowly grow that across your land.
 
Anne Miller
steward
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I agree with Melissa regarding the work of Brad Lancaster:

https://permies.com/t/36676/Brad-Lancaster-Waste-Transform-waste

https://permies.com/wiki/51855/Rainwater-Harvesting-Drylands-Brad-Lancaster

Seeds need water to germinate and to continue to grow until the plants are established.
 
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I started a new garden in the high desert 5 years ago and faced similar issues.

For mulch, I go out and cut certain stands of wild plants in my neighborhood, mostly in June before they set seed. In my neighborhood it's been mainly wild iris, a perennial artemisia, and perennial pepperweed Lepidium. So they are all small sticks or stems with some leafy parts. I scatter mulch lightly over seeds when I sow direct out in the sun, otherwise the sun scorches the seedlings or they never even germinate.

I water with a hose to the edge of each sunken bed, in turn. The top of the mulch doesn't often get wetted.

I don't find pest issues related to the mulch. I don't till, and try to leave the mulch on the beds permanently. The beds that had mulch the previous season, the soil is dark, soft, friable, and full of life. The beds that I removed the mulch from for some reason revert to pale desert soil within a couple of months. Some organic matter and skinny roots will remain in the dry soil but it will be hydrophobic and difficult to water and recover. The difference is dramatic.
 
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