How to Mulch Beans

No matter what kind of beans you include in your backyard vegetable garden, you should consider mulching them for a better-quality harvest. While the plants don't require mulch, it is one of many garden vegetables that can benefit from it. Spreading mulch around beans plants helps keep the soil moist and can also cut down on weeds in your garden. Wait until the soil warms in late spring or early summer before placing mulch around your plants.

Shovel

Instructions

- 1
  Pile mulch near your vegetable garden or near where your bean plants are growing so it is easily accessible.
- 2
  Shovel mulch into the garden bed, piling it 2 to 3 inches high around each bean plant. Keep a 2- to 3-inch radius around the plant stems free of mulch to prevent it from making direct contact with the plant. This helps prevent diseases and damage. Because beans are planted so closely together, mulch should cover the entire bed space, including the spaces between plants, and then extend a radius of 4 to 6 inches outward to prevent weeds and moisture evaporation that may hinder growth.
- 3
  Check the mulch levels after the first application has been given time to settle for a day or two. Look at the height of the piles to see if any are less than 2 inches high.
- 4
  Apply more mulch as necessary to the plants to make sure each has a 2- to 3-inch pile of mulch on it.
- 5
  Monitor the mulch regularly during the growing season to see if you need to add more. As it breaks down, you may need to remulch. Strong storms can also blow the mulch away.

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