If you can’t bet them join them-Using unwanted plants as green mulch

I have some elephant ear plants here on the farm that I absolutely hate.

 

 

Actually, I used to hate them.  Now I love having them.

 

 

What changed my mind?

 

 

First let me tell you what I would do to try and rid myself of them.  I would keep digging them up and they would just keep coming back.  I covered them up with cardboard and wood chips, but  I actually think I was feeding the dang things.

 

 

In fact, they kept spreading.

 

 

I was getting pretty frustrated.

 

 

I needed a mindset shift because clearly they weren’t going anywhere.

 

 

They had found a cozy little spot to call home and they were not about to give it up.

 

 

So I started using them as green mulch and a way of keeping other unwanted plants at bay.

 

 

Green, or living mulch, is the use of fresh, green plant matter to smother weeds and provide a nutrient boost to crops.

 

 

You may have also heard it be called “chop-and-drop” mulch because the green plants are often grown right where you intend to use the green mulch.

 

You just chop them and let them drop.

 

Living mulches also retain moisture, reduce soil erosion, creates habitat for beneficial insects and soil microorganisms.

 

 

The video below gives you a better idea of how I used the elephant ear plants as regenerative way of providing mulch in my garden beds.

 

 

Plus, it’s totally free!

 

 

Really, it’s a win-win.

 

 

There are TONS of plants that you can use for living mulches, including:

 

 

• borage

• calendula

• nasturtium

• sweet alyssum

• comfrey

• oregano

• rhubarb

• thyme

• white clover

• sweet potato vines

• yarrow

• rhubarb leaves

• Banana leaves

 

You can even consider weeds:

• chickweed

• dandelion

• plantain

• purslane

 

I use the elephant ear right now because it is a way for me to use this once unwanted plant to my advantage.