If mulch were a new invention, gardeners would tout it as a miracle. Spreading a thin layer of material on top of garden soil smothers weeds, prevents both erosion and compaction, and slows evaporation so much that you can cut water use by 50 percent.
For more of this garden, see Architect Visit: Barbara Chambers at Home in Mill Valley.
What is mulch? (And why does it have such an unlovely name?)
In the 1400s, the English described things that were soft or moist as molsh, which may be the parent of the word “mulch.” Certainly a lot of mulch we spread as a cover layer in gardens is soft and moist.
I am referring here to organic mulch, of course, those materials that were once alive–wood chips, grass clippings, straw–and are now in the process of breaking down and returning to the earth from whence they came.
What are the best kinds of mulch?
Wood chips: Hardwood and softwood chips are byproducts produced mainly by the lumber industry and both make good mulch, with the added benefit of coming in different sizes. Pine needles: Slow to break down, pine needles are a fragrant and long-lasting choice.
Photograph by Nicole Franzen for Gardenista.
A pea-gravel path abuts a bed of mulch and bluestone pavers, neatly separated by a strip of metal edging.
Choosing a mulch depends on where you want to use it. Edible Gardens: Straw is a particularly good choice to mulch a vegetable garden because as it breaks down it will add nitrogen to the soil.
How do I choose a type of mulch?
In San Francisco, clothing designer Courtney Klein and her husband turned their Mission District backyard into one big edible garden, with raised beds separated by wood chip mulch.
Do’s and Don’ts
Mulch effectively prevents weeds in Justine’s garden in Boston.
For more of this garden, see Steal This Look: An Urban Edible Garden in San Francisco.
For more of this garden, see Gone Wild: How to Grow Vegetables in the Middle of Nowhere.
How much does mulch cost?
Prices for mulch materials range from free–for pine needles or grass clippings from your own garden–to pea gravel (small pebbles), which costs about $5 a square foot. A Mulch Brick block of compressed organic coir, (which hydrates to 2 cubic feet) is $14.95 from Gardener’s.
You can figure out how much to buy using an easy Mulch Calculator (just input the square footage you want to cover and the depth of the mulch).
How much mulch do I need?