To mulch or not to mulch - that is my question!

I am off on holiday for the last week in July, but am not sure what to do about keeping everything moist.

Unfortunately I can't afford new watering systems etc (could probably stretch to a sprinkler which my neighbours might just turn on for me occasionally) and our garden gets very dry due to large trees behind.

I have seen people using mulches, but I thought they were mainy for winter protection. Could/should I use a mulch to keep the moisture in over the summer? Would it also benefit the plants and veg?

Can anyone give me some advice? I'd be very grateful.

 

Yes, would help, particularly if put down just after a good watering.

Grass clippings would probably do - if you have a pile of them that hasn't turned to a slimy mess (outer parts should be fine, at least)

It will rot down in time, and help the plants ...

Green grass will take Nitrogen from the soil to rot down, so there is a bit of a balance. Using bark chips, for example, will take almost nothing from the soil as it will rot down very slowly.

Cardboard would probably be OK too, but would need weighting down

 

Yes, I'm a fairly recent convert to mulches and use them on my borders. I use my own compost, grass clippings and a peat free mulch from New Horizons. Don't forget that you need to water well before putting any kind of mulch down.

But.... I've never mulched growing vegetables and I don't think it would be wise for root crops like carrots or ones that sit on the surface like lettuce. I guess it should be OK for cabbages and the like, in fact anything with a stem that lifts the main part of the plant above the mulch.

Oh and one other thing. Blackbirds just love to throw your mulches around as they dry out. In my garden, they've raised the sport of "mulch throwing" to a very high standard and will probably be competing in the next Olympics!