I really enjoy the garlic crop. It’s so reliable. I take the mulch off to give the sprouts a chance to develop and declare themselves. Then I tuck the mulch back around them. Like tucking them back into bed. Maybe someday I’ll interplant something around them, but for now this is working.
Here’s a view of the unmulched bed on the left and the mulched bed on the right. Just reused the same hay mulch, which has already broken down quite a bit over the winter. So it is easy to grab handfuls and tuck. I handle the green leaves minimally when I have to pull them out of the hay. They feel so fresh and new.
Regarding hay carrying weed seeds and therefore not preferred for mulch – I have heard this from many many sources, but I’ve never found it to be the case. We’ve put a lot of hay on the garden over the years. Maybe it’s because we pile it on pretty thick. But isn’t that the point of mulch?
Still working on the big section in the middle. Excess mulch is on the ground outside the bed. Maybe I’ll add more.
