“If the land is cultivated, it will, with the blessing of God, supply our necessities. We are not to be discouraged about temporal things because of apparent failures, nor should we be disheartened by delay. We should work the soil cheerfully, hopefully, gratefully, believing that the earth holds in her bosom rich stores for the faithful worker to garner, stores richer than gold or silver. The niggardliness laid to her charge is false witness. With proper, intelligent cultivation the earth will yield its treasures for the benefit of man. The mountains and hills are changing; the earth is waxing old like a garment; but the blessing of God, which spreads a table for His people in the wilderness, will never cease.” (EGW, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, p. 178.2)
This quote is most probably well-known. It is a wonderful promise to me because I have made many “apparent failures” in my gardening experiences… Even though I try to cultivate as “properly” and “intelligently” as I can, detailed observation and research have shown me there is always room for improvement.
And I think this happens to others too, so I would like to share what I have learned about mulching so far.
Grass Clippings
A few years ago, I was working in the garden at TGM Mattersdorferhof. There, the surface of the soil was drying so fast, so I decided to try mulching. And the only material we had available was grass clippings. From the experience at my parents’ home, I knew using freshly cut grass was not simple—you can only apply a very thin layer, or it gets moldy and muddy, especially in a moist, foggy environment like TGM. To avoid this, I dried the clippings in the sun beside the beds, turned them at least once and waited until they were completely dry before applying the mulch to the crops.
Besides some troubles there were benefits: We had fewer weeds, we almost did not need to water anymore and we had also a natural fertilizer supply.
What were my problems with grass clippings?
Frequent replenishment: We had to renew the clippings throughout the season at least 4 times because it was decomposed so quickly or blown away by the wind.
Moisture issues: I could live with some minor problems, for example, that our lettuce leaves at the base rotted faster due to excessive moisture in that area.
Mice invasion: Over a year, the grass mulch significantly increased the mouse population. It took some years to get back to the “normal” level…
Eventually, I stopped mulching with grass. It was not the ideal solution, but better than creating more problems. Some years later, God gave us by a miracle a little house nearby. Now, my husband and I were able to learn many things by experimenting on our own property. He focused more on construction, while I expanded my gardening efforts…
Since our garden is quite small, a neighbour kindly offered a piece of her land to use. There, we set up our first little tunnel for tomatoes and we built a raised bed – the upper part filled with precious soil from a nearby deciduous forest. It was working great.
Then, our little daughter was born, I stayed at home and no longer worked at TGM. So, I had some more time to focus on our garden and we decided to enlarge our vegetable garden. In the spring, we gathered a lot of clean cardboard, placed a double layer at the grass, and covered it with the good soil from our former raised bed – it was a layer about 4-5cm thick.
This was a perfect start so far. For mulching, we decided on two things: straw in the garden on our neighbour’s land and wood chips on our property.
Straw Mulching
First, I will share our experience with straws: We searched for organic straw but in spring, none was available to us. So we had to settle for “normal” straw. We bought a jumbo bale, which was enough to last us several years.
We tried our best with that garden, but I was never fully satisfied. Yes, God blessed us with some harvests. I had expected the soil beneath the mulch to become soft and fluffy but that never really happened. We faced particular difficulties growing carrots, onions and potatoes.
What were my problems with straw mulch?
High carbon content: Straw is high in carbon and low in nitrogen (around 80:1). While its slow decomposition reduces the need to replenish it often, the microorganisms in the soil could not multiply effectively due to the lack of nitrogen. As a result, the straw did not add many nutrients to my beds or loosen the soil at all.
High salt content: My husband once mentioned construction tests showing that wheat straw is naturally fire-resistant due to its high salt content—another factor that might affect the plant’s growth.
Non-organic straw: I noticed that not a single mushroom grew in my beds, even though the surrounding areas, made from old roof beams, should have encouraged them. So, I guess there were still some pesticide residues in the straw, which were affecting the growth of my vegetables – especially the germination of carrots… I do not know from experience, what would have happened, if the straw had been organic. But what I know is, that even organic farmers are allowed to use some pesticides – not chemical ones, but natural ones, however, can they not also contain some residues? Or what about common fertilizers?
Improper aging: Perhaps we should have stored the bale for 1–2 years before using it.
I am for sure not going to try mulching with straw again. Maybe it works for others, but I am done with it!
Wood Chips
Now, let me tell you about our experience with wood chips. More than 12 years ago, Paul Gautschi’s documentary Back to Eden introduced many to the concept of using wood chips, and I am sure many of you have seen it. It is a great idea and it works!
Here is the link to it.
However, it seems I did not watch the film carefully enough back then. We collected a trailer full of wood chips from my parents’ home and spread a thick layer (10–15 cm) in our garden. And the vegetables grew – much better than with straw mulch, though not as well as I would have hoped. After a few weeks, we observed a huge mycelium system among the chips. Moving the chips revealed an amazing fungal network just beneath the surface.
By the way: yes, we did it correctly. We chopped various types of trees and included not just larger stems but also a large amount of smaller branches and twigs.
What were my problems with wood chips?
Nitrogen depletion: It is often said that wood material "takes nitrogen away" but actually it is not the mulch itself. When organic matter is spread on top of soil, the soil life realizes, there is some work to do. So, microorganisms quickly multiply to process it. To increase their population, they require a lot of protein out of nitrogen to build their cells. And if the mulch lacks nitrogen, they draw it from the soil instead. This God-designed process is beautiful and helpful—but it takes a little time until the soil life is ready to give much more back to the soil and plants...
Mixing the wood chips 1:1 with grass clippings would have provided better results right from the beginning. Promoters of the Back to Eden method usually recommend adding a layer of compost before covering the soil with chips. This supplies the microorganisms with nutrients to establish themselves and provide also enough for the planted crop.
Fresh wood chips: I did not catch the idea in the film (or it was not emphasized clearly): They never use freshly chipped wood on their beds. Instead, they store it for 1–2 years before use. Then, at least a part of the material is broken down and the plants can tolerate the thick mulch layer much better.
Fungal growth: The fungus problem actually was not too bad. Some fungi, especially those in wood chips or fallen leaves, are excellent for soil improvement. They form calcium oxalate crystals on their mycelia, which help break down heavy clay soils and improve soil structure.
Mulching in the Future
Were our past mulching efforts wasted? Not at all. We learned step by step and observed as much as we could. I am sure we will make more mistakes in the future and hopefully learn from them—that’s okay. By God’s grace, we plan to sell our little house and search for a small farm. As soon as we are there, we will start a garden all over again. Here is how I would approach mulching in the future:
Compost layer: I would start with a layer of compost, even if it is costly. Carefully I would inspect the composting plant, to make sure, they use a good method. If no suitable compost is available, I would use composted grass clippings (the “cleanest” form of compost, as far as I know) or carefully gather some good soil from the top layer of a deciduous forest.
Charcoal: If possible, I would add a thin layer of charcoal to improve the soil. Of course, this depends on the soil type at the new location.
Wood chips: I would definitely use wood chips again but mix them with other materials for better results. Maybe the mulch will look not so beautiful, but nature provides a perfect example—forest mulch is always a diverse mixture. Ideally, the wood chips would be 1–2 years old. If not, I would use them fresh and accept the risk.
A Final Encouragement
Here is a lesser-known promise given to the workers and students at Hill Crest School. It had a beautiful natural setting and a big farm:
“You are not working alone. When you are tempted to become discouraged, remember this. Angels of God are right around you. They will minister to the very ground and the earth, causing it to give forth its treasures.” (EGW, 24LtMs, Ms 13, 1909, par. 11).
I am so thankful to know that the Lord blesses my efforts, even when I make mistakes. He and His angels are present, revealing the treasures of the earth. Why not look forward and work alongside them?
Christina Brandtner had the privilege to be trained as a gardener in an old little garden market. She has worked at TGM Austria for more than 10 years and is still gaining knowledge and practical skills in gardening and in working with students.
Pictures:
Gras clippings at TGM 2011
straw stack, by ad acta, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
White fungus in wood chips, Geo Lightspeed7, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Karotten, Hana Mara, Prague, Public domain, via pexels.com
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