Each year more and more gardeners are becoming mulch conscious. Materials which were thought absolutely worthless as far as gardening was concerned only a few short years ago are now being used extensively for mulching. Recently we asked how a sawdust mulch proved successful and asked readers to write us telling of their experiences with mulches such as sawdust, chopped corncobs, peatmoss, buckwheat hulls or other materials. The following are some of the replies we have received in response to this request.

Sawdust

For years enormous cones of sawdust squatted high at the edges of woodlands in our part of the country. Some of it was used by mills to fire their boilers, and a few home owners burned it in specially built furnaces. But it was only recently that a fanner spread it on his fields for use as a soil conditioner.

A neighbor reported that he had much better growth on his blackberries after mulching with sawdust, and my own flower bed outdid itself after I mulched with the black crumbly material from the sawdust pile. After seeing the results on flowers I have decided to try it on vegetables, too.

We have also used sawdust as a winter cover. Several years ago I put some plants of the fragrant violets Rosins and Purple Robe outside late in the fall and covered them with a cone of sawdust. After the ice melted the following spring, I pushed the mulch aside and found the plants were crisp and green ready for transplanting.

Corncobs

For the past three years we have used corncobs for mulching and have had phenomenal results. We have a little over one-half acre under cultivation in small fruits, vegetables and flowers, and hope to have the whole area mulched with ground corncobs this year.

At first the tomatoes turned yellow, indicating a lack of nitrogen. However, we fed them with a solution of sodium nitrate and in a few weeks they were back to normal. We now use a light dressing of high nitrogen fertilizer before applying the mulch and have no trouble.

If the corncobs are composted and slightly decomposed they can be worked into the soil the following year with remarkable results. It is unfortunate that farmers have burned this valuable material for years instead of working it back into the soil.

Tea and Coffee Grounds

I have found that tea leaves and coffee grounds make just as good a mulch as sawdust. Most restaurants keep them separate from other garbage and they can be had for the asking.

Peatmoss

I’ll stick to peatmoss for mulching. Soaked well before applying, it has always given me good results.

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