How To Use Sawdust In A Vegetable Garden

Garden mulch keeps plant roots warm in the winter, protects moisture from evaporating and adds nutrients to the soil. Mulch also keeps down weeds; if the sun can't reach the weed sprouts, the weeds can't grow. Sawdust is an eco-friendly mulch that gives your garden a bright, fresh look. Just don't use sawdust made from pressure-treated wood. Pressure-treated wood will leach harmful chemicals into the soil.

Step 1

Drop sawdust in handfuls around each of your plants, leaving a 4-inch space between the base of each plant and the sawdust mulch. Cover spaces between plants, too. Complete coverage prevents weed growth and competition for nutrients.

Step 2

Rake handfuls of sawdust into a 3-inch layer of mulch. If the raked-out sawdust is not at least 3 inches thick, drop more handfuls and rake it out again. Your garden should look bright and clean between plants.

Step 3

Add 1 tablespoon of liquid nitrogen fertilizer per gallon of water in your watering can. Water around your plants as usual. Adding nitrogen fertilizer is helpful because sawdust can cause a nitrogen deficiency in your soil.