How to Find Inexpensive Mulch
Ask your local landfill if you can take some flattened cardboard home for your garden., Place a square of used carpet on the planned garden area and leave it over the winter., Get a permit from your local Forest Service to collect rocks., Many tree...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Ask your local landfill if you can take some flattened cardboard home for your garden.
They usually will if you call ahead for permission.
Or obtain large pieces of cardboard elsewhere, for example, an appliance store.
The cardboard will stay flat better if you use a string trimmer to clear the area first.
Trim as close to the ground as possible, being sure not to damage bark of shrubs or trees with the trimmer.
You could also mow the area closely.
If the ground is dry, water it.
Put down cardboard, overlapping edges by at least 6".
Weigh down the cardboard with bricks, large rocks, or best of all, a heavy (4") layer of mulch such as wood chips.
This is most effective when the ground is damp and the growing season is active.
Late winter is ideal in many climates.
You can accomplish the same thing by putting down heavy layers of newspaper and covering with mulch.
You may wish to pre-moisten the newspaper by dipping it in a bucket or wheelbarrow full of water.
If you're using cardboard, remove tape, staples, labels, and anything else that won't break down eventually. -
Step 2: Place a square of used carpet on the planned garden area and leave it over the winter.
By spring, all the weeds will have been smothered and it will be easier to start a garden there.
Move the carpet to the next area and repeat.
Cover the carpet with wood chips for improved aesthetics.
In late spring, rake off the chips, remove the carpet, and rake the chips back onto the weed free area to keep new weeds from growing.
Carpet is not biodegradable, so plan to remove it before you plant. , In Idaho it costs five dollars.
Rock makes a great mulch and will extend the growing season by retaining heat into the night.
This is less environmentally friendly than wood chips, and small rocks may well work themselves into the soil and make it harder to dig weeds out. , Some electric companies remove plants that grow near wires and shred them.
The electric company will deliver a load (dump truck) of not cleaned wood chips.
Look in the yellow pages.
Wood chips make perhaps the best mulch, except on vegetable gardens.
Coarse wood chips allow weed seeds to fall down through them, then never get enough light to germinate.
When the chips rot, they will improve the soil and you can add more.
Use a generous layer—at least 4".
Place wood chips on top of cardboard or newspaper to exclude weeds for longer (at least until the mulches break down).
The wood chips will soften the look of the material underneath. , (These also make a great wrap to protect shrubs through the winter.) Coffee shops may also be able to offer spent coffee grounds and filters, which can be composted or applied to soil directly. , They often are available for free to local residents at a service center or some other location.
You will need to contact the appropriate office in your area to check.
Be sure to bring your own rake or shovel and containers or pickup truck. , If you have a large tree that drops leaves, or your neighbors do, take a bin and collect them.
You can use a lawn mower to help shred them, let the kids play in piles, or just use them whole.
Whole leaves will take a lot longer to break down, but they will smother weeds better in the meantime. -
Step 3: Get a permit from your local Forest Service to collect rocks.
-
Step 4: Many tree services and electric companies will deliver a free load of wood chips.
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Step 5: Ask your local coffee shop if they throw out empty burlap coffee bean bags.
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Step 6: Many cities or municipalities will collect branches and leaves in the fall
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Step 7: which are ground or chipped into a mulch.
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Step 8: Collect your own leaves.
Detailed Guide
They usually will if you call ahead for permission.
Or obtain large pieces of cardboard elsewhere, for example, an appliance store.
The cardboard will stay flat better if you use a string trimmer to clear the area first.
Trim as close to the ground as possible, being sure not to damage bark of shrubs or trees with the trimmer.
You could also mow the area closely.
If the ground is dry, water it.
Put down cardboard, overlapping edges by at least 6".
Weigh down the cardboard with bricks, large rocks, or best of all, a heavy (4") layer of mulch such as wood chips.
This is most effective when the ground is damp and the growing season is active.
Late winter is ideal in many climates.
You can accomplish the same thing by putting down heavy layers of newspaper and covering with mulch.
You may wish to pre-moisten the newspaper by dipping it in a bucket or wheelbarrow full of water.
If you're using cardboard, remove tape, staples, labels, and anything else that won't break down eventually.
By spring, all the weeds will have been smothered and it will be easier to start a garden there.
Move the carpet to the next area and repeat.
Cover the carpet with wood chips for improved aesthetics.
In late spring, rake off the chips, remove the carpet, and rake the chips back onto the weed free area to keep new weeds from growing.
Carpet is not biodegradable, so plan to remove it before you plant. , In Idaho it costs five dollars.
Rock makes a great mulch and will extend the growing season by retaining heat into the night.
This is less environmentally friendly than wood chips, and small rocks may well work themselves into the soil and make it harder to dig weeds out. , Some electric companies remove plants that grow near wires and shred them.
The electric company will deliver a load (dump truck) of not cleaned wood chips.
Look in the yellow pages.
Wood chips make perhaps the best mulch, except on vegetable gardens.
Coarse wood chips allow weed seeds to fall down through them, then never get enough light to germinate.
When the chips rot, they will improve the soil and you can add more.
Use a generous layer—at least 4".
Place wood chips on top of cardboard or newspaper to exclude weeds for longer (at least until the mulches break down).
The wood chips will soften the look of the material underneath. , (These also make a great wrap to protect shrubs through the winter.) Coffee shops may also be able to offer spent coffee grounds and filters, which can be composted or applied to soil directly. , They often are available for free to local residents at a service center or some other location.
You will need to contact the appropriate office in your area to check.
Be sure to bring your own rake or shovel and containers or pickup truck. , If you have a large tree that drops leaves, or your neighbors do, take a bin and collect them.
You can use a lawn mower to help shred them, let the kids play in piles, or just use them whole.
Whole leaves will take a lot longer to break down, but they will smother weeds better in the meantime.
About the Author
Theresa Simmons
Writer and educator with a focus on practical home improvement knowledge.
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