Alternative Gardening MULCH update from Shepherd's Cove Farm Frankford, NJ

What would a SHEPHERD'S COVE project be if we didn't find some way to incorporate a by-product of our main focus-sheep.
The most obvious garden benefit of our sheep production comes in the form of garden compost (but we'll spare you a photo).

Sheep manure is an excellent source of nitrogen, potash and phosphorus -three essentials to healthy plants.

*Potassium is an essential element for plant growth. Potash helps plants use water and resist drought. It promotes healthy green lawn grass and is important to food crops. Potash enhances the size of fruits and vegetables. Some think of Potassium as a plant strengthener.

*Phosphorus is vital to the growth and health of plants. It assists in converting the sun's energy and other chemicals, such as nitrogen, into usable food for plants. A phosphorus deficiency will lead to stunted, sickly looking plants that produce a lower quality fruit or flower. But phosphorus needs to be mixed with water for the plant to utilize and absorb it. Some think of Phosphorus as a plant strengthener.

*Nitrogen promotes good leaf growth-which in turn is essential for photosynthesis (how the plants make their food). Nitrogen is found in the air but must be absorbed by plants from the soil. Think of Nitrogen as your plant growth stimulator.

All three of these essential soil amendments important to garden success and are found in sheep manure-(plentiful on our farm). So adding them to the garden mix has been one way of improving our soil while utilizing one of many by-products of sheep production.

A second sheep by-product we've incorporated into this year's alternative gardening experiment is sheep wool mulch.

Sheep's wool absorbs approximately 30 % of it's weight in moisture and helps keep ground temperature consistent. We've examined studies which looked at sheep's wool as both a mulch and for it's potential benefits as a weed barrier. We found the results to date could help meet our objectives so we're giving it a try.

In this totally unscientific study, we've planted one row of green beans and one row of beets-sown directly in compost treated soil.

Thick wool roving (wool that has been washed and combed into a smooth long strand) has been placed around the outer edges of the garden rows.

Wool roving has also been spread around the seed holes. Oat Straw covers the wool roving to keep it in place and discourage garden visitors from stealing it away as nesting material.

We hope to see a reduction in the need to water as frequently, faster germination time, lower weed rates and maybe even an impact on the garden slug population.

We'll keep you posted on the process and project as things develop.