At 6:17 PM -0400 6/30/09, Magali Regis wrote:
...>1. Mulch vs. gravel path: We have a lovely community garden on
East 6th Street in the East Village in NYC with a gravel path and
some of the gardeners would like to see it replaced with mulch (wood
chips). I happen to like the gravel path a lot and would be sorry to
see it go. There is something very 'zen' about it. They say the
mulch will be softer, easier to maintain, smell really good etc...It
is a lot of work to make that change. I was wondering if you anyone
out there has experience with mulch and has an opinion, one way or
another, about it? Or if there is any place I could go for advice. I
want to make sure we do the right thing.
Who will do the work? Mulch is easier to work with than gravel. It
does need to be renewed every so often -- I think it's best to
replace it totally every 3 years or so, because it creates compost
eventually. I use aged path mulch between my plants, or to cover
kitchen compost in the bin. Do some gardeners mulch their gardens or
make compost? If not, what will happen to the composted mulch when
it's time to replace it with new mulch?
On the other hand, logistics may be easier with gravel. Depending on
the size of your garden and paths, a gravel delivery will be smaller
than a mulch delivery. So if you don't have space to set aside a big
pile of mulch, or people to spread it out immediately, it may be in
the way.
Who will pay for the gravel or mulch? Can you get mulch for free?
For aesthetics, it's easier to see what's out of place on a gravel
path, and probably easier to pick up garbage, if that's a problem.
But some gravel paths look better if they're raked. And at least
around here, when the mulch gets wet, we get some dog-vomit slime
molds (yes, that's the official name) -- though more likely in garden
plots, not usually on the paths. Mulch can also be slippery, and if
you get free mulch, you never know what you'll get. Lately, we've
been getting a lot of twiggy mulch, where every shovelful needs to
have the larger, spikier materials sorted out, lest people trip on
them in the paths.
The mulch will smell good only if you get something like pine (the
most fragrant we've had), and the smell doesn't last more than a
month or so, iirc. Mulch is softer than gravel, but only if you have
a really thick layer -- at least 4-6 inches -- and it will get harder
within a few weeks or months. On the main path in my garden that
started out with a couple inches of mulch, it's down to bare
rock-hard adobe soil in some places because the hoses drag the mulch
around, so the mulch gets piled against the garden beds, or dragged
to one end of the path.
If the gravel is thick enough, you can hear someone walking on it,
which could be a good thing. I've known people who install gravel
driveways for that reason. In my garden, I'm often startled by people
standing nearby because I don't hear them coming on the mulched paths.
How are the garden plots separated from the paths? If they're not
raised beds or don't have definite borders, then with mulched paths,
you can expect the garden plots to gradually encroach on the paths.
Gravel paths define the edges better.
Also, if you have gardeners who aren't diligent about weeding,
mulched paths can create a bigger weed problem as the weeds encroach
onto the paths more, and grow bigger root systems. But in my garden,
I always put cardboard or newspaper down first, then add 4-8 inches
of mulch on top. That light-blocking layer is essential here because
we have tons of bermuda grass and bindweed in the soil seed bank
(plus roots).
If I were in a garden with one or the other, I'd probably keep it. If
the gravel does not need replacing yet, I especially wouldn't change
it. Or when it's time to replace the gravel, you could allow the
gardeners who want to do the work to make mulch paths, with the
understanding that when it's time to replace the mulch, or in 2
years, the decision would be reevaluated. Or if you have a main path
and side paths, keep the gravel on the main path and use mulch on the
side paths.
I see ants wherever the soil dries out -- in containers, along the
edges of raised beds, etc., not so much in the mulch itself. But I
think it's a general rule that more organic matter will support more
fauna.
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