Mulch + Wind

Any suggestions for mulching an annual veggie bed in a really windy area?
Last year we went out and got organic straw to put on our annual veggie beds. It blew all over the yard.
I also put leaves on my potato patch...they also blew around the yard.
The only mulch that hasn't blown away is the wood chips on my food forest - but that seems a bit heavy for veggie beds.

I would appreciate any thoughts!

What about using some type of shade cloth?  Strategically placed objects could hold it down, moisture could still soak in the ground and that pesky wind won't blow your mulch away!

Now you need a way to harness that wind to perform some kind of function!  Make power ? pump water?  Grind grain?  Build a Holland style wind mill just because they look cool ?

Callandra,

Just a couple of ideal that I have.

One would be to lay down the straw/leaves/whatever, and then lay a couple of large twigs/small branches over the stray in order to weigh the mulch down.  I too have used straw and I know that it can be highly mobile in a moderate breeze.  I usually water my straw down immediately after placing it and gently press it down so it is less likely to blow away.  I have also placed tomato towers in my beds, bot the hold down the straw and also to slow wind over the surface of the garden.  If you can get something growing before the wind starts, the crop will help to both hold the straw in place and to reduce wind.

If you are using leaves, I strongly suggest really shredding them up to as fine a particle as possible.  I use a leaf blower-vac that shreds and sometimes I shred them a second time depending on how well they shredded up the first time.  Smaller particles both pack down well and are far less likely to blow around.

Generally, anything that can weigh down the straw until crops poke through will do wonders to keep that straw and/or leaves in place.

Last point.  My experience is that grass clippings are far less mobile than straw or leaves.  I have sometimes laid out straw and then placed grass clippings on top to hold down the straw.  To boot, the grass clippings, being highly nitrogenous, really help the straw decompose.  If I keep it wet, then I can both keep it in place and I can speed decomposition of the mulch.  don't worry though, the mulch will not decompose until the next year at which point you can do it again.

These are just a few thoughts, and if you have any others of your own, by all means, add them to these or replace altogether.



Good Luck

Eric

Wood chips work great for vegetable beds,  and as you've found,  they don't blow away.

Thanks all - we get wind gusts that throw trampolines around, so it's been a bit of a challenge!

I like the idea of fine leaf mulch - I'll have to see if I can find a machine to do that with!

Wind is one of my biggest problems.  Laden with salt it damages my plants, evergreen leaves are shredded in winter and most trees grow at 30 degrees to vertical.  This year I cleared a new part of my garden, hoping to grow more perennial vegetables and useful shrubs in lee of Sycamore trees.  I decided on a whim to create mini berms, about 18 inches from ridge to base, parallel to the wind direction (prevailing winds generally from SW), to give a bit of shelter.  This also gives more shady/damp and well drained/sunny areas (hopefully!), however this autumn I noticed that they collected the sycamore leaves really well.

Sycamore leaves caught in depressions.
I wasn't sure whether the leaves would just blow away in the first gales, but we've had several slightly windy days up to 40 or 50mph and the leaves have now rotted away leaving their leaf stalks only.

Captured leaf stalks all that remain.
We usually have 80-90 mph wind most winters, and I guess if these occur before the leaves have decomposed, then I'll lose more leaves, but I'm pretty impressed how effective a small depression can be.  I'm also surprised how quickly the leaves have decomposed, about three months max between first and second picture.

Callandra Caufield wrote:Any suggestions for mulching an annual veggie bed in a really windy area?

Steal it from your neighbours!

We had a bit of a storm here a week or so ago - nothing to write home about - just 60mph or so. I noticed that my trees are harvesting next door's moss!

moss caught on alder tree branches

moss caught on tuftfs of reeds

If you can slow the wind down, you will catch whatever it is carrying. Plants tend to dessicate in the wind anyhow, so giving them a bit of shelter is desirable from many points. The field next door is heavily grazed by sheep at the moment, so even the moss has nothing to cling onto.

Callandra Caufield wrote:Any suggestions for mulching an annual veggie bed in a really windy area?
Last year we went out and got organic straw to put on our annual veggie beds. It blew all over the yard.
I also put leaves on my potato patch...they also blew around the yard.
The only mulch that hasn't blown away is the wood chips on my food forest - but that seems a bit heavy for veggie beds.

I would appreciate any thoughts!

This is about what I was going to say.

Put down the straw mulch, then top that off with wood chips.

I live where it is really windy and that is the only way to keep mulch from blowing away.

One years I grew Sweet Alyssum which I love because it smell heavenly.  I found that it makes a great living mulch for tall veggies like corn.

i use leaf mulch quite a bit. a few sticks or stalks on top can generally keep it put.

I've used small branches with success. They actually will capture leaves as they blow by as well. Another great way to prevent cats from using your soil as a toilet too!