Caught my neighbor using the wrong mulch around his tomatoes last spring

My neighbor Bob in Cleveland planted 20 tomato plants in May and used fresh wood chips right against the stems. I told him that fresh mulch steals nitrogen from the soil and can stunt growth, but he didn't listen. By July his plants were half the size of mine and he only got 12 tomatoes off them. Has anyone else seen people make this mistake with vegetable gardens?

2 comments

2 Comments

wilson.claire7d ago

Twenty plants and he only got 12 tomatoes?

olivia_morgan87d ago

Oh man, I have absolutely been that neighbor before! Last year I piled fresh grass clippings around my peppers thinking I was being smart, and they turned yellow and basically just sat there for weeks. I ended up yanking them all out and starting over, so I guess I wasted more time and money than Bob did with his 12 sad tomatoes. Live and learn, right?