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Gardening is a happy mix of simple techniques, all of which are designed to help you get the best from your flowers, fruit and vegetables. It’s significant that many are aimed at improving the soil and mulching has to be the most simple, but important of these. Although an ancient technique, mulching has recently come to the fore thanks to the rise in popularity of no-dig gardening, which relies on thick layers of organic matter to improve the soil from the top down.

WHAT IS A MULCH?

A mulch can literally be any material that covers the soil. Good organic mulches will:

■ Retain moisture

■ Suppress weeds

■ Reduce nutrient loss due to rainfall

■ Add organic matter (humus) to the soil as it breaks down

■ Add nutrients and trace elements to feed plants and soil flora and fauna

■ Cool the soil in summer and act as insulation for the roots in the winter

■ Protect some fruit and veg, e.g.