July 25, 2016
Adding organic material to your garden soil is the best way to make it more friable. Being crumbly increases its water retention, allows microbes access to oxygen, and improves it's nutrient capacity. Adding a lot at once is detrimental to the plants because the nitrogen required to break it down becomes unavailable to their roots. The microbes multiply exponentially and then die off when their work is done..
Mulching provides a continuous support for the decomposing bacteria in a small layer of soil between the unbroken down material and the soil proper. The nutrients in this layer get flushed down the worm holes to feed the plants whenever you water..
