It’s only (and *finally*) March, and we still have several inches of snow on the ground… but I am thinking about spring! More specifically, I’m thinking about my gardens! I replenish the mulch in my flower beds every other year. I have a LOT of flower beds, with more in the works (we hate mowing our 1.25 acre of land). Mulch is very, very expensive and I loathe paying for it. But there is a way to make your mulch stretch a little farther.
Lay two or three layers of newspaper down on the ground before laying the mulch down. There are a few qualifications here. First, if the layers are too thick, your plants’ roots will not be able to breathe (yes, roots take in oxygen, from the soil) and your plant will not get enough water. Keep the newspaper layers just two or three sheets thick. Secondly, when you lay it down, poke holes in the layers with a pitchfork or some tool like it. This will enable water and air to trickle down through the paper. Lay your mulch down. The instructions on most mulch bags will tell you to put down two or three inches. TWO or THREE inches?! I would have to sell my home in order to afford that much mulch for my flower beds. I only lay an inch, and I keep it fluffed. The children are FORBIDDEN to walk in my flower beds.
Finally, I recommend you use newspaper with the plain black ink, and avoid the colorized sheets. Most newspaper ink has gone organic, but the dyes from the colorized sheets may add chemicals to the soil that coould harm your plants.
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