Cover that soil with mulch. As much that will fit in the bed.
Bailey said:
Cover that soil with mulch. As much that will fit in the bed.
So I shouldn’t have mixed it all together? It’s a blend but I mixed before planting.
Bailey said:
Cover that soil with mulch. As much that will fit in the bed.
So I shouldn’t have mixed it all together? It’s a blend but I mixed before planting.
You can mix it all together, no problem, but cover the dirt with mulch to help keep the moisture in. In addition, it will degrade throughout the season and give you more soil next year. Next year you can plant and mulch without disturbing the majority of the soil.
@Emmy
What kind of mulch do you buy? I’m assuming not just the bags of wood chips you see at the store?
Mal said:
@Emmy
What kind of mulch do you buy? I’m assuming not just the bags of wood chips you see at the store?
Search for a local materials yard and see if they carry a natural non-dyed bark mulch. Cheap dyed mulch is sometimes just ground up yard waste (pallets, old decking, etc.) that they dye to make it look passable before it fades.
A true bark/leaf mulch will break down into your soil and help improve it over time.
Mal said:
@Emmy
What kind of mulch do you buy? I’m assuming not just the bags of wood chips you see at the store?
You can use the dyed mulch at the hardware store; I have, but arborist wood chips are best. They are free, and spiders love it, which helps cut down on pests.
@Bailey
I use seedless straw for mulch. I’ve also heard of shredded paper if your job generates a lot of it.
Mal said:
@Emmy
What kind of mulch do you buy? I’m assuming not just the bags of wood chips you see at the store?
I also throw a bag on my lawnmower a few times a summer and add grass clippings. They break down nicely. Note: don’t do this if you apply herbicide.
@Emmy
Yeah, unfortunately, we have to have our lawn treated in our neighborhood, so I won’t be able to do that, but that would be the way to go.
Bailey said:
Cover that soil with mulch. As much that will fit in the bed.
So I shouldn’t have mixed it all together? It’s a blend but I mixed before planting.
Mulch goes on top of the soil to keep it from drying out really fast. It also helps keep the rainwater from splashing mud on your plants.
Dried grass clippings are good for mulch as long as your yard isn’t sprayed with poisonous chemicals. Chopped leaves are another good source of mulch that is available in the fall. I save all my leaves to use in the garden next year.
Axel said:
@Micah
Do they have to be chopped? Can they just be kind of old and slowly degrading?
They work best if you run them over with your lawn mower while dry to break them up a bit. They tend to get matted together if they are whole, but they will eventually break down in the same way. Just can take many years longer.
Axel said:
@Micah
Do they have to be chopped? Can they just be kind of old and slowly degrading?
Chopped leaves are better at staying where you put them. Whole leaves tend to blow away in the wind. However, if they are already old and decomposing, that should work too!
@Micah
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Micah said:
@Micah
[deleted]
When you say that the grass is going to seed, it is all still green seed heads, right? The seed needs time to mature before it will sprout.
I don’t know how long it takes for grass seeds to mature, but if you’re mowing the yard every week, then I imagine that the grass seeds will be too green to sprout. You might try using them on a small area of your garden to test it out.
Water thoroughly and mulch the top of that bed. Start a compost pile. Figure out where the next bed is going. 
Feed your soil, not your plants. Best tip I ever learned.
Your soil looks dry as a desert. Get mulch, start a compost bin, and top dress with compost when the plants start to fruit.
Lyle said:
Your soil looks dry as a desert. Get mulch, start a compost bin, and top dress with compost when the plants start to fruit.
You put the compost on top of the mulch?
@Xavi
MIGardener is awesome and makes very approachable videos for beginners!