One of the things I really strive for on the farm is to use what I have locally instead of purchasing things that need to be shipped here. Regenerative farming practices include composting, making your own fertilizers and amendments, and doing what’s best for the land that you’re growing on. One of the best things you can do to help your soil and to help yourself, is to use mulch.
Any bare patch of soil will naturally want to cover up. So if you don’t want weeds to grow that you’ll have to pull out later, I suggest using mulch to cover up that soil. There are a variety of different mulches you can use, but a great one here in SE Alaska is seaweed. And the best part about seaweed? It’s free!
I typically apply about a 2-3 inch layer of seaweed on my garden beds to cover the bare soil. The benefits of using seaweed are incredible! Not only does it block out weeds, but it can also help keep the moisture level in the soil, and add nutrients (nitrogen, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and several trace elements). Some people say it repels slugs, but I’ve not found that to be true. The slugs around here are persistent and I haven’t found seaweed to help or hurt the slug population.
Since it’s still too early to plant things in the ground, it’s a great time to gather seaweed. Today we loaded up our skiff and headed to a small island for an adventure. The girls explored while I gathered seaweed. You’re rarely find me on the boat without a roll of garbage bags handy in case we find a good pile of seaweed and today was no exception. 8 bags of seaweed later, everyone piled back in the skiff and we headed home. I just leave it in the garbage bags and put it in the high tunnel so it will be ready when I need it.
Seaweed on the beach that I gathered for mulch