Finding Cheap Mulch

I broke away from using bagged mulch this year. I have three new sources for wood chip mulch: the local park service, the power company tree trimmers, and landscapers who cut down trees.

The Park Service (Montgomery County, Maryland) had too much mulch and generously delivered a dump truck's worth to an area our neighbors cleared of vines and overgrowth (near the Park Service operations center, so it was great for them, too).

Other neighbors phoned or went out to the power company tree trimmers while they were working in our area, and dumping their freshly chipped branches saved them time.

Thirdly, I got two loads of mulch, one from a lot development site behind my house and another from a Craigslist landscaper who needed to dump his freshly chipped, clean tree.

I used mulch to cover bare roots around a beech tree, creating a dramatic circle with sprigs of ground-cover. I used chips to level out my earthen driveway, which slanted towards our foundation.

To manage a pile of mulch at the end of your driveway, use the shovel at the bottom edges of your pile; it gives and is easy to load up your shovel. I loaded into plastic tubs and wheeled trashcans for easy relocation to specific sites (garden, trees).

I heard that wood chips damage tender roots of seedlings, due to the nitrogenous heat created by decomposition; however, my plants are thriving spectacularly with this mulch. Perhaps the water preserving mulch aspect outweighed the heat nature in my case. Cover your mulch pile with a tarp if it rains, to keep it light and fluffy for easier removal. And sing some good work songs while moving your mountain of mulch.

By mary knight from Kensington, MD