Making the rounds in gardening pages on social media: mulch will rob your soil of nitrogen. College horticulture professor Debbie Flower (retired) and I do a deep dive into the mulch pile to explore that rampant rumor. Also, summertime is soil solarization time, to rid your garden soil of pests or a quick way to kill off a portion of your unused lawn area, in preparation for a new garden bed. We talk sheet mulching, as well. It’s all about the soil!It’s on episode 112 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, brought to you today by Smart Pots. And we will do it all in under 30 minutes. Let’s go!Pictured:MulchLinks:Smart PotsFarmer Fred Rant: Which Mulch is Best?Farmer Fred Rant: How To Kill Your Lawn in Two Easy StepsSheet Mulching (University of California)Soil Solarization (University of California)Solarization improves soil nutritionMore episodes and info available at Garden Basics with Farmer FredGarden Basics comes out every Tuesday and Friday. More info including live links, product information, transcripts, and chapters available at the home site for Garden Basics with Farmer Fred. Please subscribe, and, if you are listening on Apple, please leave a comment or rating. That helps us decide which garden topics you would like to see addressed.Got a garden question? There are several ways to get in touch: leave an audio question without making a phone call via Speakpipe, at https://www.speakpipe.com/gardenbasicsText us the question: 916-292-8964. E-mail: fred@farmerfred.com or, leave a question at the Facebook, Twitter or Instagram locations below. Be sure to tell us where you are when you leave a question, because all gardening is local. And thank you for listening.All About Farmer Fred:Farmer Fred website: http://farmerfred.comDaily Garden tips and snark on TwitterThe Farmer Fred Rant! BlogFacebook:  "Get Growing with Farmer Fred"Instagram: farmerfredhoffmanFarmer Fred Garden Videos on YouTubeAs an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases from possible links mentioned hereThe Proffitt PodcastThe podcast that shows you tips & strategies to create content with confidence!Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify