What is mulch? It is simply material you use to cover the surface of the soil in your garden beds. Generally people use fallen leaves, compost, pine straw, pine bark, hardwood chips, or pebbles. Mulch truly is a gardener’s friend for all the benefits it provides – maintaining soil moisture, moderating temperatures (keeping the soil warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer), reducing weeds, cutting down on erosion, and adding nutrients to the soil as it decomposes.  And, it makes your garden look tidy and well-groomed.

Add about 2-3 inches of mulch around your plants in late winter or early spring, and your garden beds will flourish! Be careful not to over-mulch! Too much of a good thing can bury and/or suffocate plants. And please don’t go for the “volcano” look – piling up mulch around the trunks of trees and shrubs. Keep mulch about 6 inches from the trunks of trees and the stems of woody shrubs to prevent rot, decay and wood-boring insects.

I prefer using organic mulch such as mulched leaves (leaves you have run over with your lawn mower), pine bark, compost, or hardwood chips. These are natural products from leaves, trees, and other plant material that mimic nature and will gradually decompose overtime, adding nutrients to the soil. The disadvantage of organic mulch is that it must be replenished periodically. But a fresh covering of mulch in the spring gives the garden a well-groomed, finished look. If you want great curb appeal and healthy plants – mulch your garden beds!