How to Chop and Drop for Garden Success

Mulch is a great way to protect your garden from drought and disease. But why does it have to be so much work? Hauling in the mulch, spreading it around, and making sure it is the right kind. Then once it breaks down, you have to do it all over again. But what if I told you there was an easier way? That you could grow your own mulch, or even use weeds to get the same great results? That’s the promise of chop and drop mulching for your garden. Here are the four things you need to decide if chop and drop might be the right approach for you.

What is Chop and Drop?

The theory is pretty simple. You “chop” the vegetation in your garden bed close to the top of the soil, or just below and you “drop” it right in place. You can chop what is left of plants that have been harvested. Or you could chop weeds or grass in a newly developed, or overgrown garden bed. You can even grow a cover crop specifically to chop it and work it into your soil. Whatever method works best for your garden.

The vegetation can be chopped up with a mower or a hoe. Or you can leave the plants essentially whole as mulch. The more you chop it up, the faster it will break down. Depending on when you want to use the garden bed again, you can decide how much you need to chop. If there isn’t enough vegetation to cover the bed, you can always add more from surrounding areas. Or use other organic material like leaves, grass clippings, or straw.

Why Does it Help You and Your Garden?

Any kind of mulch can have a lot of benefits for your garden soil. It helps retain moisture, adds organic material, and can prevent the transfer of pests and disease from the soil to your plants. Chop and drop mulch can also help because using mulch you’ve grown in place is less likely to introduce contamination. Mulch brought in from other areas can have pests, diseases, or even unwanted chemicals in it. Wood chips or leaves from certain trees can add toxins to your soil. Using grass, hay, or straw that has been sprayed with herbicides or pesticides can kill your garden.

Also, chop and drop minimizes the disturbance of your garden soil. Chopping the plant stalks usually causes the rest of the plant to die and the roots to decay. You don’t have to pull out plants or till up the soil. Dropping the vegetation right on the garden bed makes it easier for the gardener. It also minimizes damage to the soil by preventing the need for wheelbarrows or machinery to remove old plants or deliver mulch.

When is the Best Time to Chop and Drop?

If you don’t want to spend a lot of time chopping up your mulch, the best time to chop and drop is at the end of your growing season. Then the mulch will have plenty of time to break down over the winter. But, any time you will have several months for the roots to break down and the tops to compost will work. If you have very hot summers, you could chop your spring garden after the cool season veggies are done. Then you can let them compost until you’re ready to plant again in the fall.

You can also use chop and drop effectively to reduce weed pressure if you let the weeds germinate and then chop them into mulch before they flower and set seeds. This can help reduce the weeds your future plants will have to fight against in that garden bed. This can be difficult to time if you have a lot of different kinds of weeds in one area, but err on the side of chopping early, or chop multiple times if needed to prevent the seeds from spreading.

If you need a quicker turnaround for your garden beds, you can pull out the roots and chop up the stalks to encourage them to break down faster. Or, if your cover crop is shallow rooted, you may be able to push the mulch aside and plant pretty much right away. Transplanting already started seedlings can also speed up the process. Just dig holes for your transplants and remove any old roots if needed. Putting a tarp or plastic over the mulch can also speed up the process of breaking down the old material.

Is it Right for My Garden?

The ease and flexibility of chop and drop mulching makes it easy to use in almost any garden, but there are some circumstances when you shouldn’t use it:

• You had a plant disease or pest problem – if your garden is struggling with pests or disease, you may want to remove and dispose of infested garden vegetation to break the cycle.
• You need to plant again right away – if you have a quick turn around for your garden bed, you may be better off removing the vegetation and amending the soil with compost or other fertilizer.
• You let your weeds go to seed – if you have an overgrown garden bed full of weeds that have gone to seed, you want to remove as many weed seeds as possible rather than letting them stay to grow next season. However, hot composting the bed with a tarp or plastic can help to kill the weed seeds if needed.

Now you know the details of when you should and should not use chop and drop mulch. You can figure out if it fits anywhere in your next garden plan. Happy chopping!

Looking for more options for mulch? Check out my post on the Top 5 Mulches for Your Garden for all my best tips on choosing the mulch that works for you.

Need help planning your garden? I have a Garden Planning Masterclass that offers done-with-you sessions where you can work through the steps and come out with a plan. Check it out!