Time to mulch,

So far the season has been pretty dry and for the first time we are watering in the month of May.  That brings us back to one of our big discoveries from many years ago, mulch heavy and mulch often.  The absolute best thing to use for mulch is cut grass.  Does your neighbor throw it away, give him a hand and load it in your truck.  Grass is thick; soft, holds in the moisture and covers the soil.  The thicker you mulch the less chance you will have of weeds coming though.  The fresher the grass, the better.  As grass breaks down it gives off a lot of heat which is good for the garden.  I see a lot of posts saying “grass may be ok but you should let it sit a while in the compost”.  This is back to the fear that by putting cut grass on your garden you are planting grass.  Well if you cut your grass before it goes to seed you will not seed grass and if you do not, sitting in the compost will not help.  What you are looking for in mulch is what fresh grass has.  It is soft, thick and creates a nice barrier.  For the most part it is free.  We usually get enough from our own lawn to do our garden but I have had people ask if I had a place to get rid of grass clippings.  I always have a place for them.