The Joys of Mulch
Every garden needs mulch. It serves several important purposes. The two biggest are moisture retention and weed control.
A good, thick layer of mulch will hold in significantly more moisture than the soil alone would normally retain. This is one of those multiple blessing kind of applications. It’s good for the environment, because you’re not needlessly funneling excess water through to the aquifer. It’s good for your wallet, because you don’t have to water as much. It’s good for your garden, because the plants are more resistant to the occasional lapse if you miss a scheduled watering. In other words – it is a good thing all around.
Another key benefit of mulching is that it will impede the growth of weeds. When it comes to mulch, the thicker the better. A rookie mistake that many new gardeners will make is spreading the mulch too thin, either because they don’t know any better or to try to save money by spreading the mulch farther. Don’t do it. Pile the mulch good and deep. Weeds are survivors; they’ll find a way to grow in almost any conditions. You need that thick barrier to stop most of the weed growth and to retain a good level of moisture.
You can get all the mulch you need for your garden without breaking the bank. Many municipalities recycle wood from lawn pickup and provide it back to the taxpayers as mulch. Check your local landfill to see if they have a mulch bin. Some landfills will have different types available.
Some common variations available are fine, course, and glass mulches. Stay away from the glass mulch for anything other than decorative planter areas. Even if your local landfill doesn’t separate out the fine and course mulch, you can still have your choice. The course mulch will be on the top of the pile. Fine mulch will work its way to the bottom and can generally be scooped up at the edges of the pile without much trouble.
Whatever kind of mulch you choose to use, with a trip to the landfill and a little sweat equity you can save money and get a high quality mulch for your garden.
