As I visit gardens for the Garden Crew I compare what I see our clients doing with what I do in my own garden. The most conspicuous difference is my consistent use of mulches in my planting and flowerbeds.

When Donna and I got married she had been a gardener for many years and was a regular customer at Scenic Nursery. I know she was exposed to our mulching recommendations. I think she heard but didn't listen. She has commented on the difference it makes.

When you mulch for a few years some wonderful things happen. The phrase TOP SOIL is a word in the East you hear a lot. In California you hear it but it doesn't seem to mean much. The reason is that TOP SOIL is soil with lots of organic material in it. In most of California with the lack of summer rain we don't get a lot of natural organic material in the soil. So, as gardeners we have to add it.

When you mulch, immediately you get cooler soil, a reduction in weed invasion and a surface that is easier to weed. In the long run you get a dramatic change in the soil texture, microbial activity and nutrient retention. In a phrase you turn it into TOP SOIL.

I add a couple of inches of forest humus over almost all my planting beds every 2 to 3 years. I am convinced this can make anyone a better gardener. Let ‘s resolve to make TOP SOIL in our garden this Spring.

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