How to Mulch Your Garden with Crushed Shells
Mulch gives gardens a neat appearance. Mulch also suppresses weeds, reduces water runoff, minimizes water loss, and insulates plant roots during times of extreme temperature change. When it comes to mulches, you have quite a few options, from bark chips or black plastic to crushed shells. Crushed cocoa shells, buckwheat hulls, pecan shells, walnut shells, and even crushed eggshells make good mulch. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Apply the crushed shells immediately after you plant your garden. If there are weeds you failed to remove while working the soil, pull them out before you mulch.
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Scoop a few shovelfuls of crushed shells onto a central location in the garden. Use a rake to spread the crushed shells evenly over the planting area and around each plant.
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Continue the process of scooping and spreading the crushed shells until you have an even 2- to 3-inch layer of mulch. Slip on a pair of gardening gloves after spreading the mulch, and brush away crushed shells that are covering the foliage or touching the stems of any plants.
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Tips & Warnings
Crushed shell mulches are available in garden centers and from online vendors.
Do not apply the crushed shell mulch too heavily. A 2- to 3-inch layer of mulch is sufficient for a planting bed.
If you use cocoa shell mulch in your garden, keep your pets away from the area. Cocoa shell mulches may be toxic if ingested by your pets.
