I've been waiting for some rain to wet the ground before I mulched around the leeks I planted a few weeks ago to feed them a bit and suppress weeds.
I did it this morning but even though it's been a very wet year and rained a lot yesterday the ground around the plants was pretty dry still. I've been pretty mean with my precious home made black gold and I don't want to over do it and keep the next rainfall from soaking in.
I'm tempted to put some around my cavolo nero plants but because the leaves shade the ground even more the ground under them is drier still mistake ? or no ? the compost is nice and moist itself.
I wouldn't have thought it would stop the rain sinking in, because it'll be a soft, rough surface, so the rain won't bounce off it.
I know home-made compost is precious stuff!
I don't think kale plants really need it. If you gave them some compost or manure when planting, I think they'll be okay. They have massive roots, I think they seem to look after themselves very well.
You could always make one of those teas for extra feeding - much quicker than making compost. Nettle tea or comfrey or some mix?
And for helping the rain sink in - do you think you could arrange the soil in such a way as to discourage fast run-off? like small circles of earth banked up round the plants for example, or at the lowest edge of the bed? I know people in soggy parts of the world will think that's crackers, but you can be too well-drained!
I don`t think it is the right time to mulch around plants with black gold, the ground is so wet and slugs will be attracted in for a start. I have just emptied my mature bin over an empty raised bed and covered it in weed fabric to overwinter, ready for beans. I don`t dig, I let the worms and slugs take the compost down
Kale doesn`t need it and imo the mulch will help encourage rust on leeks
My next bin will be spread on two more beds as soon as they are empty. I hoe, leave a day or two then spread, then cover
I did feed a few things yesterday, with comfrey tea, like slow moving squash. I am just waiting for the autumn flush now
Thanks for the replies....too late if it's a mistake, not a very thick layer so I hope there's no real harm done.