KC Permaculture Extension Bulletin # M110 March 2016 Author: Steve Mann

Mulching and cover crops for soil protection, weed suppression and nutrient management.
Each spring gardeners get the itch to get out and till the garden. The heady odor of fresh tilled
soil brings a special satisfaction to many. But maybe it not the best practice if we are seeking a
sustainable agricultural system.
By tilling the soil either by means of a moldboard plow, rototilling or heavy disking we are
increasing the soil erosion rates and speeding up soil organic matter decomposition. Soil
aggregates are broken down and the biotic glues that give soil its structure are oxidized leaving
the soil prone to erosion from wind, water and leaching of nutrients.

The level of organic matter present in the soil is a direct function of how much organic material
is being produced or added to the soil versus the rate of decomposition. For a sustainable
growing system we want to balance the production of organic matter with the decomposition rate
of the plant material on the soil surface. In this way we can provide highly usable plant nutrients
as they are needed without the possible environmental effects of using nitrates. Plowing and
tilling leaves the soil surface bare which makes them susceptible to the erosive forces of wind
and water. Conservation tillage practices reduce erosion by protecting the soil surface and

KC Permaculture Extension Bulletin # M110 March 2016 Author: Steve Mann

allowing water to infiltrate instead of running off. Tillage also upsets the soil food web which is
a key component of a sustainable production system.

No-Till /Minimal Till Gardening:

Protects the soil surface

Builds soil organic matter

Protects soil microorganisms

Reduces work

Conserves water

Minimize soil disruption

Avoid soil compaction

Reduces Carbon Emissions

Not till gardening can be accomplished using either applied materials or grown in place as a
living mulch. We will look at applied mulches first.

Mulch

Mulch is a material such as straw, leave, woodchips or compost that covers the soil protecting it
from drying out, suppressing weeds and supplying slow release plant nutrients. Landscape
fabric, paper, and plastic film are also widely used for vegetable production.

Many home gardeners are using either newspaper sheets or ground up newspaper as mulch.
Bleached paper is not recommended because of the possibility of dioxin leaching. When using

KC Permaculture Extension Bulletin # M110 March 2016 Author: Steve Mann

newspapers some type of organic mulch material is placed on top of the paper usually 3 or more
inches thick.

Type of Mulch

Characteristics

Peat Moss

Weed free, poor nutrients hard to rewet if it dries out

Pine Needles

Weed Free long lasting moderate weed suppression.

Sawdust

Weed Free long lasting, good weed stopper good at

conserving moisture Don't use from painted or treated wood

Wood Chips

Weed free moderately long lasting, good weed stopper

Straw

Weed free long lasting, good weed stopper and

holding moisture

Stone

Weed free long lasting, good weed smothering, no nutrition, mostly

for paths and edges

Compost

Weed Free if properly made, excellent plant food

Bark/Chips

Weed free long lasting, good weed suppression

Hay

Good weed suppression but has weed seeds

Grass Clippings Usually weed free, don't make thicker than 1 1/2 "- 2"
may get too hot, possible chemical contamination.
Hulls and Shells Rich in nutrients, best at smothering weeds, high
nutritional content Cotton burr, rice, peanut hulls.

Leaves Weed free good at smothering weeds, may blow around, breakdown slowly,

KC Permaculture Extension Bulletin # M110 March 2016 Author: Steve Mann

Sheetmulching
Before you start any reduced tillage system it is advisable to have your soil tested. If the soil pH
needs adjusting it is best to do one more tilling to incorporate the recommendations of the testing
laboratory. Once the pH has been adjusted then the growing area can be prepared. Flatten or
mow any existing vegetation then spread 6 cups of 5% nitrogen fertilizer per 100 sq ft.

The easiest way to sheetmulch a garden bed it to use overlapping newspaper making sure there is
a continuous covering of between 4 and 8 pages. Make sure that the newspaper is thoroughly
wetted and then cover with a minimum of 3 inches of mulch materials. The paper mulch must
not be allowed to dry out or its breakdown will stop and its benefits for nutrient management will
be negligible. Its best to sheetmulch lawn in the fall so earthworms and microorganisms can
slowly breakdown the moist newspaper and dead turf, If you sheetmulch in the spring or summer
you will need to apply thicker mulch and some fertile growing medium for planting small seeds.
You can also cut through the paper and plant transplants in the soil below.

Figure 2. Wet newspaper sheetmulching being laid

as a weed and light barrier.

KC Permaculture Extension Bulletin # M110 March 2016 Author: Steve Mann

Cover crops
Cover crops are living groundcovers that are planted either into or after harvest of the main crop
usually in the fall. Living mulches are cover crops that can be planted before or with the main
crop. They must be managed to control competition for water and nutrients with the main crop.
Cover crops, also known as green manures, are one of the cornerstones of ecologically sensible
agriculture.

Cover crops provide outstanding benefits for the soil, crop and grower including:
Increasing organic matter content
Increasing earthworm and beneficial microorganism activity
Increasing the soil's plant-available Nitrogen
Stabilizing the soil to prevent erosion
Bringing minerals to the surface for other crops
Providing habitat, nectar & pollen for beneficial insects
Improving water, root and air penetration in the soil
Increasing the soil's moisture-holding capacity
Choking out weeds
Breaking up subsoil
Reducing populations of pest organisms
Providing aesthetic value and color
Cover crops can be integrated into your gardening system to protect the soil and provide these
benefits. Cover crops can be part of a conservation biological control system by providing

KC Permaculture Extension Bulletin # M110 March 2016 Author: Steve Mann

habitat and nectar for beneficial organisms such as pollinators, predatory insects and spiders. Use
of cover crops, organic soil management practices and reduced soil disturbance by tillage can
lead to lower pest population densities.

Living mulches

There are a number of growing systems suitable to garden scale vegetable production using
cover crops as living mulches. One that is highly suited for home gardens is innerseeding, the
planting of vegetables in beds of living mulches.

Some innerseeding methods:

relay cropping, the planting of the vegetable crop after the living mulch is growing.

Overseeding, planting living mulch into growing main crop before or after harvest.

Figure 3. Subterranean clover, Trifolium subterranean

used as a living mulch relay cropped with tomatoes and peppers.

KC Permaculture Extension Bulletin # M110 March 2016 Author: Steve Mann

Subterranean clover is a great living mulch for transplants like tomatoes, peppers and eggplants.
It has seed germination suppressing allellopathic properties so keep it away from direct seeded
crops.

cover
crop
x

living
mulch
x

common name
White clover

scientific name
Trifolium repens L

Vetch

Vicia sp.

Subterranean
clover

Trifolium subterranean

Forage radish

Raphanus sativus

breaks up claypan, provides

organic matter, fall crop

Cereal rye

Secale cereale L.

Crimson clover

Trifolium incarnatum

cool season grass, provides organic

matter, mulch material
cool season nitrogen fixer,

characterisitc
It is shade tolerant, withstands
traffic, grows fairly low, and
survives repeated mowing
nitrogen fixer, organic matter for
mulch

cool season annual legume with

allelopathic properties dies back in
summer

Figure 4. Some cover crops for home gardeners

Figure 5 Forage (daikon) radish with winter wheat as a cover crop.

N
fixing
x

x
x

KC Permaculture Extension Bulletin # M110 March 2016 Author: Steve Mann

With the continuing loss of topsoil and environmental issues associated with fertilizer usage
cover corps, living mulches and various mulching methods can help protect our precious natural
resources making gardening less work and more rewarding.

Some further reading:

Abdul-Baki, A. A., J. R.easdale, R. Korcak D. J. Chitwood, and R.N. Huettel 1996. Freshmarket tomato production in a low-input alternative system using cover-crop mulch.
HortScience, 31(1): 65-69.

Altieri, M. A. (1999) The ecological role of biodiversity in agroecosystems. Agriculture,

Ecosystems and Environment 74:1931

Anderson, D. F., Garisto, M. A., Bourrut, J. C., Schonbeck, M. W., Jaye, R., Wurzberger, A., &
DeGregorio, R. 199). Evaluation of a paper mulch made from recycled materials as an
alternative to plastic film mulch for vegetables. Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, 7(1), 39-61.

Hartwig, N. L. and H. U. Ammon 2002. Cover crops and living mulches. Weed Science 50:
688-699

Munn, D. A. 1992. Comparisons of shredded newspaper and wheat straw as crop mulches.
HortTechnology, 2(3):361-366.

Sullivan, P. 2004. SUSTAINABLE SOIL MANAGEMENT. ATTRA National Sustainable

Agriculture Information Service. Available online at
http://www.clemson.edu/sustainableag/IP027_soilmgmt.pdf ; last accessed March 10,2014