2 Additions For Your Garden To Help Erosion And Control Weed Growth
When you have a backyard vegetable garden for your own pleasure and enjoyment, it is a good idea to take steps necessary to help you get the most out of your time gardening. You don't want to spend a great deal of time fighting weeds or worry about soil erosion around your plant's bases during watering. Here are two ways you can help reduce weeds and help with soil erosion.
Drip Irrigation
A drip irrigation system consists of a system of interlocking tubing and hoses to deliver water directly to the bases of each of your garden plants. Instead of utilizing an overhead sprinkler sprayer watering system that delivers water to your plants and also to all other areas in your garden, a drip system helps control weed growth by not watering them.
This also helps control erosion from watering because the irrigation emitters drip water slowly into the soil and doesn't drown the soil with a stream of water to wash the soil away from the base and roots of your plants. Additionally, it helps you conserve water and save you the extra time of moving sprinklers around and even turning them on and off, as you can install a drip irrigation system with a timer programmed to run at certain days and for specific times. You can find drip irrigation starter kits at most home improvement stores.
Mulch Layer
Adding a layer of mulch over your garden plants can help reduce weed growth and helps keep the soil in place to prevent erosion from wind and rain. Mulch adds a barrier to your garden soil to prevent weed seeds from taking hold in the soil and receiving sunlight they need to germinate and grow. If weeds to take root in the mulch layer, they are quite easy to pull, as their root system will not reach deeply into the soil and the mulch is a loose material to easily allow their removal.
The mulch also helps keep moisture trapped in your soil, which lessens the frequency and need for watering your plants. Mulches made of bark, wood chips, and other organic materials break down through the season to replace nutrients back into your soil.
You can buy bagged mulch and wood chips from most home improvement stores, or you can make your own. Rent a wood chipper for the day and chop up any dead or fallen tree limbs in your yard into virtually free mulch.
Use these tips to help you protect your garden soil and help control weed growth. For more information on irrigation, check out a company like Hydrotech Irrigation Co.
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