Mulch Mania!

[gina2000]

Do you mulch? I know there are tons of good reasons to do it, but I can never seem to get my butt in gear to lug and haul umpteen cubic feet of mulch around my garden.

HOW MANY MULCHERS DO WE HAVE???


AND HOW MANY MULCHLESS?



I know, I know......crazy question........

 

[amid chaos]

LOL Gina!!!!

I try every 2 years but I get less and less motivated to move 10 yards of the stuff...I already decided, not this year.

 

[marlasmom]

Too much work for me. I do try to plant perennials close enough together to cut down on weeding. At least I did in NH and that worked. Don't know about Florida yet.

 

[Mmketeer]

Hi,

Oh yeah...I mulch. You almost can't plant outside here in Florida w/o it cause of the hot,dry summers and with all the watering restrictions we have it makes it really hard to keep your plants from frying w/o it. I use to buy the cool "red' colored mulch, but not that I have moved and have been raising my new BT's who have decided the big chunks are great chew sticks I've decided to keep it al'natural. I figure it's just got to be better than the artifically colored stuff. I just buy the cheapest since I use so much of it, but I am not much of a bark fan. I buy the inexpensive Cypress Mulch since I have to use so much of it.


www.mybostonsonline.com
Mmketeer

 

[marlasmom]

Too much work for me. I do try to plant perennials close enough together to cut down on weeding. At least I did in NH and that worked. Don't know about Florida yet.

 

[sorcerormickey]

I am a mulcher! I just got done mulching and remulching my beds for this year - only 20 bags worth. I use Cypress mulch too - I like the brown color and its not too expensive.

 

[marydmjj]

I'm a mulcher wanna-be. Every year I plan on mulching and every year I end up not mulching and spending WAY too much time weeding! This year I swear I'm gonna mulch!

 

[cgcw]

My back is aching from mulching today. We got 2 loads of nice mulch delivered free of charge from our Village a couple of weeks back.

We re-mulched the front yard already. Now we are re-mulching around the playset in the back yard. We could have used a couple of more loads but the Village ran out. So, the rest of the backyard will have to wait until fall -- if we're lucky enough to get to the top of the delivery list. If not, there's always next spring!

 

[Snowwark]

We used to use the cocoa bean (shell) mulch, (dh liked the smell), but it was so light, if you didn't keep it moist, or if there was a heavy rainy/windy day, it would move all over the place.

Last year we used cedar mulch, but some of the pieces were too big, so I'm not sure what we'll try this year.

 

[Mamu]

I'm also a mulcher. I get 8-10 yards yearly. Yes, it a lot of work, I turn last years mulch into the soil, sometimes removing an inch or two because the soil line has gotten too high. when I'm finished turning over all the gardens I order black pine mulch. I love the contrast of the dark mulch and the plant and flowers. This project usually takes me 3 months to complete. By July I'm usually finished now all I need to do is sit back, water and admire my weed free flower gardens.

 

[DixieDreamer]

Yes and no. I use a couple of inches of fresh compost to "mulch" around the flower beds early in the spring. It usually get's worked into the top couple of inches of soil rather quickly... so it is not quite the same as a traditional mulch. I too plant my perennials very close together because not only do I like the "full" effect in the garden - but it also reduces the weeding.

 

[Tulirose]

Okay, I'm a mulch-less gardener. I know that I should be a mulcher but alas and alack, I am not. A Master Gardener from my seminar said to email her and she will send names of contractors who will deliver mulch for free. She said just make sure you tell them you want DISEASE-FREE mulch! I should email her, shouldn't I?

 

[Marla Hellwig]

Mulch - what's mulch?

 

[Mmketeer]

Hi gang,

On this mulching thing....is it just me or does it really seem harder to re-mulch than to put it down for the first time?

I am a soil turner too Mamu, so I turn mine into the soil as well. I just moved this year to a whole new place and I am starting a new garden, so I get to start from scratch w/ the mulch bags. Oh, but I am not looking forward to this winter and turning it all over and re-mulching for Spring.


PS
Great picture Marla! <BG> Looks like you really know how to have a good time!
Oh yeah, and thanks for sharing the down side of using the Cocoa Bean Mulch...I always wondered about it.

Mmketeer

 

[CindyKansas]

Here, where I live, mulching is a way of life.

 

[Boo'sMom]

I'm definately a mulcher....I've spread 6 yards already (but that was at my neighbors house) and I have 6 yards coming next week for my gardens....that's enough motivation for me to get out and get things turned over.

I like the smell of the cocoa mulch too, but we have waaaaay too much space to buy mulch by the bag.

 

[marydmjj]

I bought 3 bags of bark mulch the other day! It looks so good and clean. I think I'm going to actually get off my fanny and get a truck load this year!

 

[sorcerormickey]

I've spread 6 yards already (but that was at my neighbors house)

Boo's Mom - you offer your mulching services??? What a nice neighbor!!!!!!!!!

 

[Tulirose]

I went out and bought three bags of mulch yesterday - probably not enough but it is a beginning. It is the cedar stuff, but small pieces. Not big at all. And I was sorta surprised at the price. I thought it was cheap. I may change my mind about that, however, once I find out how much I need to cover an area!

Question!

I got the following from an email by Rebecca's Garden. Should I do this newspaper thing too? I planned on putting Preen underneath the mulch first before reading this about the newspaper. Should I do both?

From Rebecca's Garden:
Too much summer weeding? Newspaper is a great
mulch that will save time and help your garden.
Lay 4-6 sheets of black and white newspaper around
your plants. Water lightly to set and cover with
a couple inches of cedar mulch, just for
appearance. When the newspaper decomposes in about a
year, just till into the soil, adding organic
material that's good for your garden. Now, go enjoy
more of your summer!

 

[Snowwark]

Tulirose, I've heard of the newspaper "lasagna gardening" idea, and one of the gardens we visited on the Secret Garden Tour had a bed made from decomposed newspapers (the owner was quite happy with it).

Vanessa has tried this, and heres a link to a post about it. BTW, I still can't see the picture!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=238315&highlight=+newspaper