This helpful article on the sustainable living website eartheasy.com touts the benefits of gardening with seaweed. Mulching with seaweed collected at the beach saves water, enriches soil, repels pests, and boosts productivity, according to founder Greg Seaman.
“Seaweed will benefit your garden any time of year, but it is especially useful as a mulch to protect plants during hot, dry weather. In our garden, we’ve come to rely on seaweed as a valuable, yet free, source of fertilizer, mulch and organic pest control all in one natural material.”
Among other tips, Seaman suggests using small, broken-up seaweed gathered a few yards inland from the water’s edge. Once home, apply a 4-inch-thick layer on top of the soil in place of conventional mulch.
Greg isn’t alone. Chris Hull at Organic Authority makes a similar case in this article, adding that natural seaweed has 60 trace minerals and ready-to-use nutrients including nitrogen, potassium, phosphate, and magnesium.