Mulch-what, when, where and do I need to put some in the garden? This is what I will try and answer today, hopefully giving a bit of clarity on the ins and outs of the topic.

First of all, what is it?

Mulch is something organic like wood chips, well-rotted animal manure or compost that gets put onto the soil.

Why do we use it?

We use it for several reasons:

• Cover the soil to prevent weed growth
• Provide nutrition for plants as it breaks down (some are better than others, but that’s a post in itself)
• Helps prevent the soil drying out
• Can make garden beds look better

When do we use mulch?

Normally, mulching gets done in winter. The main reasons are that there are fewer other jobs to do then and there are also fewer weeds around in the gardens, so it’s good preparation for the warmer weather when plants grow like crazy! This reduces herbicide and fertiliser use (thus saves you money).

In a home garden situation, there is no reason to wait until winter if you have the will, or need, to do so. You do need to ensure that the garden bed is well-watered before starting though (it takes longer than five minutes with a hose to fully water a garden bed), and that there are no weeds present within it.

How much mulch to use?

In general, it is recommended that you have a layer of mulch between 50 and 75mm thick on top of your garden beds. Around all plants, including trees, ensure that there is a thinner level of mulch to prevent the stems or trunk rotting due to lack of air flow around this area.

In conclusion

Mulch is something that can be very helpful to gardeners. It can suppress weeds, help to keep water in the soil and help to fertilise plants. It can also give a finishing touch to the look of a garden bed, if that is your thing.

While it is often a time consuming task, I think it saves more time as you don’t have to spend more time on other tasks! It is certainly a good job to get done, especially in winter.