May is the month for mulching, but June is still not too late. I am in mulch heaven because Percy and our next door neighbor, Merle Ranker, used Merle’s truck to bring me a big pile of chips from a tree that had been cut down not far away. Lazy gardeners love mulch, especially those who like to have long term goals rather than short term ones.
In my mind weeding is like dusting. In a short time it needs to be done all over again. Lazy gardeners prefer to get rid of weeds for the season.
One way to do this is to wet newspapers and use them under mulch. It is important to wait until perennials are tall enough to stand above two or three inches of mulch. Newspapers and mulch can also be used to bed down bedding plants like petunias. I usually use newspapers about four pages thick. Tear the wet newspapers to fill the spaces between plants leaving an inch or two bare next to the plant. Then place the mulch on top. This should keep weeds from growing between the plants all summer long. Roots sent up shoots but they die for lack of sunlight. The soil doesn’t dry out as fast with mulch and rains can penetrate the newspaper and mulch.
Some plants like ferns and bee balm send out lateral roots so it is better to mulch them without newspapers. Ferns especially like mulch. It eventually decays and makes the ground more fertile and easier to work.
Next spring some newspaper pieces may remain but you can just add to them and add more mulch.
Another use for this technique is creating a border between flower beds and grass. I dig a shallow trench about four inches deep and about five or six inches wide. I lay wet folded newspaper sections in the trench, allowing it to cover the sides. I cover this with mulch even with the ground. This creates an edge for the lawn mower wheel to ride on and creates a barrier against the grass. I also use mulch and newspapers to create a border around trees to make mowing easier and to protect the trees. A shallow trench at the outer edge keeps the mower from dragging the mulch away at the edge. Be careful of tree roots near the surface.
This year one part of the yard is reserved for what I call a garden in waiting.
It was in grass last year and I wanted a shade garden. Last fall the grass was cut very short and a thick layer of wet newspapers was laid down. Then mulch was shoveled on top. After one year we will dig up this area and plant it. It should be grass free.
There are many sources for mulch. The local tree trimmers will often give away ground up chips or sell a big load cheaply. The city of Tiffin has a large supply of chips available at their building at 601 Miami Street. It can be carried away in boxes, baskets, or even by the truckload. Another free source of fine mulch is sawdust, a waste product at the lumber companies. Grass clippings where no weed killer has been used are also a fine mulch. We allow our grass clippings to enrich the lawn soil so we don’t use them.
Commercially, bags of mulch are available at many stores at reasonable rates. Free chip mulch can be covered lightly with bought mulch for a neater appearance.
We are so cheap that we even recycle dirt. When I dig out the grass to make trenches around the edges of flower beds and trees, I save the grass, roots and dirt and all, and add it to my compost pile. I then top that with a bag of leaves, (free from the city) to smother the grass. Next year in the spring, the pile will be rich, black, soil enriching compost.
My lazy gardener’s way of mulching recycles newspapers, uses up waste chips and sawdust, and helps enrich the soil by adding organic matter. Give it a try.
-- Mary