Not Straw Or Compost: The Eco-Friendly Mulch That Your Tomatoes Will Love

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By the time the hottest part of summer rolls around, many gardeners have already placed a layer of mulch around their flowers and vegetables. Finding the right combination of landscape materials is what makes a garden, but there are so many options out there that choosing the best mulch can sometimes leave you scratching your head. That's why it's good to understand your options, and there's an eco-friendly choice that your tomatoes will love. Rather than using straw or compost, you can spread cocoa bean hulls around your plants, which will feed the soil and suppress weeds.

Cocoa hulls are a waste by-product of chocolate production, and they're environmentally friendly to use. Although they're slightly expensive, they don't have to be applied as thickly as some other mulches do in order to suppress weeds. Usually about one to two inches of cocoa hulls is enough to do the job. They smell like cocoa for a few weeks, which is reason enough for some to use them, and they're a chocolate-brown color that's also appealing.

Another reason tomato plants thrive in cocoa mulch is because it adds organic matter and nutrients to your soil. The advertised NPK (Nitrogen-Phosphorous-Potassium) ratio of 2 ½-1-3 in Hull Farm Cocoa Bean Mulch releases slowly so it won't burn vegetation. You can get a 2-cubic-foot bag for a little over $30 from Amazon. It's easy to spread with a rake, and it's especially perfect for people with small gardens and limited space.

If you're looking for eco-friendly mulch options, cocoa mulch may have already come across your radar. But before you consider using it for your tomato plants, it's important to know that cocoa bean hulls can be toxic to dogs if ingested, just like chocolate can, so they're not the best choice for homeowners with canine companions. Cocoa mulch releases nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus as it decomposes, but it's not a substitute for tomato fertilizer. At planting time, fertilizer goes in the ground at the root zone and mulch goes on top later.

While mulches help conserve liquid, you'll still need to water your tomatoes — they need about one to two inches of water per week. Cocoa hulls don't trap enough liquid in the soil to eliminate the need for watering, but they do help ensure consistent moisture, which is what you really need to prevent blossom end rot.

When you're mulching a garden with cocoa hulls, soften it in well so it settles into place. Avoid applying it too thick so it doesn't turn gummy and resistant to water. Since mulch generally keeps soil cool, waiting until the soil warms up to cover the ground around your plants gives them a head start. Make sure to leave a ring of bare soil about two to three inches in diameter around the plant so the cocoa hulls don't come in direct contact with the stem. Also keep in mind that cocoa hulls are a natural product, which can get moldy in the package.