Cardboard on rows

Our peppers had been set out about 2 weeks ago but we just got them mulched yesterday. I spent some time online one day trying hard to find the glue used to make cardboard - the best thing I could find was that most glues that break down in water are made of hoof material - I really don't know if this is true so any experts can tell me otherwise. But we use cardboard in the garden to keep rows clean.

First, we plant peppers 18 inches apart in two rows - with the second row offset from the first so that the plants are only about 1 foot away from the second but we offset the plants so that the second row is 1/2 way between the first. Next comes the soaker hose and then we mulch with newspaper. Newsprint uses food dyes - not the old lead dyes of yesteryear. We don't use the slicks - those just don't let water thru. The silly easy secret to using newspaper is to use a large flat container about the size of a cat box (I use one of those plastic storage containers) and have the paper in a stack already separated and ready to use - I prefer two full sheets or one full and one half sheet. Then I water the whole mess - let the paper soak up the water.

We usually mow once a week and I catch all the clippings, dumping it into wheelbarrows. This gets hot if left overnight as it starts to cook but is still workable - if it gets rained on or left much longer, you might just want to compost it. Once a section of newspaper is put down around several plants, we have started cutting large swaths of cardboard to use as boarders or down the walkway. If I don't have enough grass clippings to hold down the cardboard immediately, I'll put down fence posts or rebar until more mulch can be obtained. But I make sure the newspaper is covered or I don't put it down - it will blow once dry and end up trashing the entire neighborhood. If I have enough clippings, I'll use it on the cardboard but if the board is going to be walking path, I prefer a heavier mulch like leaves or woodchips cuz the cardboard and green clippings create a rather slick as snot walking path.

Yesterday we had to soaker hose going as we mulched the peppers - oh, we also always put those tomato cages (those little wire cages that have three legs and two circles at the top in a slightly upside pyramid shape) around the peppers - they aren't worth a flip for holding tomatoes but for peppers and dallias they work just great. Peppers are brittle plants - a good wind can twist and break heavy fruited branches. Do that just before adding mulch while the paper is wet.



Honestly, if I could wiggle my nose and make all bermuda grass die all at once, it would already be gone as that is usually the worst of the grasses in the garden. And it just creeps toward tilled soil like it was invited in.