Rice hulls are a good mulch and soil amendment.
https://gardens.theownerbuildernetwork.co/2020/02/18/how-to-use-rice-hulls-in-gardening/
https://www.redbudsoilcompany.com/products/rice-hulls-50lb
$23.99
There is the shipping of course. Maybe possible to get it from a nearby coop or farm store. I got 3 bales for about $36 from my local Ace Hardware, but that was 4 years ago.
I liked the hay I used last year. Had some weeds and grass pop out of it this Spring but it’s super easy to pull because it’s not really rooted into the soil.
I started out using shredded leaves but the bag for my leaf blower/vacuum blew a hole in it. Need to order a new one this week and I’ll be able to fill in the light spots in the hay with shredded leaves.
Priced out my trellis stuff. $20 for each 12 foot. I could almost get away with one but will do two. Will pick that stuff up Thurs and get the maters and Shisito peppers in the ground Thurs afternoon as well. Soil should be dried up enough and Fri will be cloudy with a chance of rain.
Tonight after work I’m starting bean seeds in Jiffy peat pots and they can go in the ground in a couple of weeks without disturbing roots and I’ll be done walking around and setting up trellises & bean poles by then.
Doing a variety of varieties. Cherokee Wax(yellow), Roma II(Italian green beans), Asparagus bean(yard long), Dragon Tongue(purple mottled), Rattlesnake Pole(long purple streaked)
I thought I had some standard green beans but I guess not. That’ll pretty much fill up the little front yard garden. Only other thing I have started are some onions so I’ll find a corner to set up a raised bed because my soil’s kind of heavy for root crops. I also have some short-ish, blocky carrots I’d like to try and Ace Hdwe has those bags of organic raised bed mix.
Need to get some shade cloth before too long. Farmtek and Johnny’s want hundreds but I found some on Amazon, precut sizes with grommets. Looks like beans/mater are neither companion or protagonist so I could do beans down the middle with the tallest supports, mater trellis on either side of that and short stuff outside of that along the fence. That would make for a gable roof structure to support a shade cloth over the entire garden.
Things are gonna be jam up and jelly tight this year compared to last year when I had zero dollars to put into things. The little front yard garden may morph into a small high tunnel when it’s all said and done.
Hi ho, hi ho, off to work I go.