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My very own Mt. Mulch

June 10, 2009

120-pound sloppy-sitting Newfoundland for size comparison only.

The other day, Ellie May’s mom posted about Mount Mulch, the pile of mulch that resides in her driveway often for a good part of the summer because she detests dealing with it. I can relate. So much so that reading her post prompted me to call and order my very own Mt. Mulch.

I haven’t mulched for at least three years. I don’t think it’s particularly good for one’s garden (sucks all that nitrogen up breaking it down), and certainly not good in the quantities I see being applied to my neighbors’ yards by the professional landscaping crews they hire. But go a few years without it and you’ll remember the benefits of mulch. Last year I topdressed all my garden beds with about three inches of compost. This year I feel like I’m seeing the rewards from that, and I think that’s something I’ll continue to do every three years or so. But let me tell you, the weeds almost killed me last year. At first the compost held them back, but by the end of summer it was a losing battle, and, ultimately, I gave up. And this year I’m seeing what happens when you sit back and let the weeds win. All their babies, plus the perennial weeds, REALLY take over. I’ve been pulling them, but it’s not helping. Within what seems like minutes, they are back.

So I got four yards of mulch delivered. I just sort of guessed at the amount. Much of the “main” garden (I call it the main garden only because it was the first one I made), is so packed with plants that mulch is not needed. (Have I mentioned that I’m becoming very fond of ground covers and quickly spreading plants?) And I was able to much the circle garden with the bits of the pine stump we ground out, so that one is taken care of.

Anyway, I feel a lot like Ellie May’s mom does about the whole chore: what a bore. That said there is really nothing better, in my opinion, than a freshly mulched garden. It looks so beautiful. In fact I may even use it as an excuse to have a small party to show off the garden. That’s assuming I get all the beds weeded and the mulch spread. Better not send out invitations yet.

mulch
by Erin @ The Impatient Gardener 
8 Comments

About Erin @ The Impatient Gardener

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Comments

  1. Meredith says: June 10, 2009 at 10:00 pm

    Ok, all mulch aside, that's a cute dog! Here in Austin I worry that if I don't mulch, not only will the weeds take over, but my precious plants will die in the heat. I decided not to mulch until it started getting pretty hot, which it suddenly did overnight a few weeks ago. Sometimes the mulch comes with weeds of its own, though — not cool!

    Reply
  2. Seasonal Wisdom says: June 10, 2009 at 10:06 pm

    I'm actually a big fan of mulch, especially the fine chips type. Seems to be a problem with nitrogen only when the mulch gets under the soil, then needs to break down. But if we can just keep it on top of the soil (easier said than done) it's okay. 😉 Have enjoyed looking at your blog, and love all the helpful gardening links too. All the best, Teresa

    Reply
  3. Bangchik and Kakdah says: June 10, 2009 at 11:32 pm

    Mulch to become the focal point of a garden isnt that bad afterall…. only that it will keep reducing!!

    ~ bangchik

    Reply
  4. Erin Schanen says: June 10, 2009 at 11:47 pm

    @Meredith: Rita knows all too well that she's cute, but she says thank you, anyway! I can definitely see your point about the heat. That is such an entirely foreign concept up here (we've had ONE day over 70 degrees so far!) that I tend to forget that for some people mulch is really not optional.

    @ Teresa: Yes, the more shredded the mulch, the better, as far as I'm concerned. The stuff I bought this time was called "premium hardwood triple-shredded mulch" and it looks like it will break down very nicely.

    @ B&K: You're right about that!

    Reply
  5. Newf8310 says: June 11, 2009 at 2:21 am

    Love the pic of Rita! (Does she really weigh 120?? Hope is around 105, but I think she's gotten fatter since getting spayed)

    Anyway, I love your blog. You crack me up and I'm learning bunches!!!

    Reply
  6. bart says: June 11, 2009 at 5:08 pm

    Living mulch is the answer . grow 4-5 times more leaf surface area than actual surface area in your beds. weeding goes away.

    Reply
  7. Erin Schanen says: June 12, 2009 at 12:46 pm

    Bart, that's what I'm shooting for! I'm finding myself more and more looking at groundcovers and quickly spreading plants. I figure I can also pull it out and put something else there. It's funny though, a neighbor who I'm sort of helping make a small island bed said to me last night, "How can you stand all your plants touching?"

    She likes all her plants segmented and encircled in a sea of brown mulch. Not me. I've always been attracted to that packed cottage gardening look that looks just a little bit wild.

    I'm encouraging my husband to buy a mulching and bagging mower (you wouldn't think this would require a lot of encouragement, would you?) and once that happens I'm going to save every chipped up dry leaf and mulch with that in the future.

    Maybe, between the ground covers, the compost and the mulched leaves, this will be my last mulch mountain ever.

    By the way, the mulch was delivered four days ago. Haven't touched it yet.

    Reply
  8. Beth says: June 15, 2009 at 7:17 am

    It seems to be a compost. Anyway you have got a cute dog. Nice blog. beth http://www.iflorist.co.uk

    Reply

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The Impatient Gardener

Do you love gardening? Me too! I'm Erin and I garden in Southeastern Wisconsin, zone 5. The Impatient Gardener is all about real-life gardening: the good parts, the bad bits and even the funny stuff. It's part information, part inspiration and a little bit commiseration. Thanks for visiting.

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I had a rather unpleasant realization last night w I had a rather unpleasant realization last night when I remembered that I’d not yet ordered tomato seeds. And I’m not going to rectify that until I dig into my seed stash, because I don’t go through tomato seeds quickly so there are definitely some lurking down there. 

I never used to grow tomatoes from seed because there are great varieties to be had in garden centers (including many heirloom varieties). But it’s almost non-negotiable for me now that I’m a convert to dwarf tomatoes. If you’re not familiar with the #dwarftomatoproject championed by @nctomatoman and others, these are heirloom varieties that are crossed with dwarf varieties to create plant that produces all the flavor and interest of an heirloom in a short (usually less than 4 feet) plant. 

They are particularly great in my tall raised beds. Of course I leave room to try new non-dwarf varieties every year (I loved Sun Dipper from @panamseed last year and I’ll grow it again).

Last year was a good tomato year and the photo shows some of the varieties I harvested in one day. I hope this summer will be equally good for the tomato harvest. 

One of my favorite questions to ask gardeners is: What is your favorite tomato variety to grow? So have at it in the comments because inquiring minds want to know!
And this is why I leave my winter containers assem And this is why I leave my winter containers assembled until at least March. A dusting of snow gives them a whole new look (even if it’s shades of gray). Also, I think I love my Limelight hydrangea even more in winter. Fabulous winter interest!
I’m going to look for opportunities to add more I’m going to look for opportunities to add more ferns to my garden this year. They are such interesting plants and often real problem solvers, bringing texture and color to places that many plants aren’t interested in. Athyrium niponicum (Japanese painted fern) ‘Crested Surf’ grows well for me in part shade (even pushing a bit into part sun) and looks great next to Persicaria ‘Golden Arrow’.
Birds chirping, glorious fresh (i.e. not nibbled o Birds chirping, glorious fresh (i.e. not nibbled on) foliage, and texture galore. I can’t wait to have moments like this again. The star, by the way is Hakonechloa ‘All Gold’ which looks so good with the bold foliage of Ligularia dentata ‘Desdemona’ next to it. 

With the new path, this area will be getting a small revamp. It’s the next spot I’ll be focusing my planning on.
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