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How to Mulch a Garden

Gardening doesn't have to be a lot of work, especially if you use mulch in your vegetable and ornamental beds and pathways. Mulch is a huge garden timesaver because it helps prevent weeds, reduces the need to water, moderates soil temperatures, adds organic matter to the soil as it breaks down and helps your garden look tidy.

Difficulty:
Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

  • Bark mulch or wood chips
  • Bow rake
  • Weeder
  • Hose
    • 1

      Grass clippings and straw work great in vegetable gardens because they break down quickly. Leaves and pine needles break down a bit more slowly and are better used in ornamental beds. Wood chips and bark work well in pathways and ornamental beds because they take a long time to decompose and have a uniform texture.

    • 2

      Remove existing weeds from the area you plan on mulching.

    • 3

      Water the soil before mulching. Mulch helps soil stay moist, but if you apply mulch to dry soil it actually prevents water from soaking into the ground. So, it is very important to water your soil deeply prior to mulching. Use a slow, steady stream of water and allow the water to soak into the soil 6 to 8 inches deep.

    • 4

      Layer mulch 2 to 4 inches deep, thick enough to block light and keep weeds from sprouting. Using more than the recommended depth has no benefit.

    • 5

      Keep mulch away from the crown of plants. It's important to think "donut," not "volcano," when mulching. Piling mulch up against the trunks of trees and shrubs (so it looks like a volcano) or covering the crown of plants can slowly kill them. Prevent this problem by leaving a ring of bare soil around the base of each plant, like a donut.

    • 6

      Mulch breaks down slowly over time. Replenish mulch when only a thin layer is left. The beauty of mulch is that as it decomposes, it actually enriches your garden soil, much like compost. By adding mulch, you improve your soil while at the same time reducing the need to water and pull weeds.

Comments

  • Mar 21, 2006
    When mulching, it is great to use horse or cow manure, it is one of the best mulches I've ever used and it works wonders mixed with dried leaves. It may also be incorporated to the soil as a fertilizer and as a soil texture enhancer. Note: horse manure mulch reduces its volume greatly once laid out, so every few weeks it will be necessary to add more. It works wonders also keeping weeds away.
  • Mar 21, 2006
    When mulching, it is great to use horse or cow manure, it is one of the best mulches I've ever used and it works wonders mixed with dried leaves. It may also be incorporated to the soil as a fertilizer and as a soil texture enhancer. Note: horse manure mulch reduces its volume greatly once laid out, so every few weeks it will be necessary to add more. It works wonders also keeping weeds away.
  • Nov 22, 2005
    Organic composted mulches composed of leaves, bark and wood contribute far more to soil improvement than a mulch of only shredded or chipped bark. Bark is composed primarily of lignin, which is slow to decompose and less nutritious.
  • Nov 22, 2005
    Leaves will decompose much faster when shredded. Craftsman makes a Leaf Shredder that uses a 'string trimmer' to shred the leaves for about $100. The resulting mulch can then be turned into the soil or used to cover garden areas. These leaves are the best fertilizer for what ails your garden.
  • Nov 22, 2005
    Be careful when using newspaper. Squirrels seem to love it as a nesting material and made quick use of it this spring. They dug beneath the other mulch materials and spread the newspaper throughout the planting beds! What a mess!
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