Making mulch is a great way to save money on your garden, and it’s also a great way to make use of the vegetation that you have around your home.
All you need to do is gather some wood chips or leaves and let them sit for a few weeks until they break down into a nice, rich soil substitute.
In this blog post, we’ll go over how to make mulch at home.
What is mulch, and why should you learn how to make mulch?
Mulch is a layer of organic material that you spread over the soil around your plants to help keep them cool, moist, and healthy. It’s made from materials like peat moss, shredded bark, leaves, or compost and can be used in any season, not just in fall and winter!
For example, you can apply mulch to your garden beds in the spring to improve soil quality and help prevent weeds.
But why should you make mulch?
- Mulch helps prevent weeds from growing, which makes it easier to maintain your lawn and garden beds.
- Mulch maintains moisture in the soil, which helps plants grow better and makes them less likely to die in droughts or during other periods of low rainfall.
- Mulch also helps keep soil temperatures more consistent throughout the year. This means that it’s easier for plants to adapt their growth patterns as seasons change.
- It’s eco-friendly because you’re reusing something that would otherwise be thrown away into a landfill.
- It’s cheaper than buying it ready-made at the store.
- It makes your garden look prettier because it hides all those ugly spots between plants!
Things you need to make mulch
If you’re planning to learn on how to make mulch, you need to know what tools and materials you’ll need.
- A rake
- A shovel
- A plastic bag or tarp (for collecting the leaves)
- A pitchfork (if you want to mix in some soil)
Mulch essentials!
- Wood chips
- Grass clippings
- Compost
- Leaves
- Shredded paper
- Cardboard
Note that you can use one or a combination of these. Either way, will do so, don’t worry!
Things to consider on how to make mulch
Want to know what you should consider as early as possible? Here are some things to keep in mind before you learn how to make mulch:
Location. If you’re making mulch for your backyard, make sure it’s somewhere that will be easy to access. You don’t want to get your mulch from the top of a steep hill, right?
Storage. If you lack a lot of space outside, it might be helpful to have some sort of container that keeps the mulch contained and easy to get at.
Size. Mulch comes in many different sizes and shapes, so make sure you know what size or shape works best for your needs.
How to make mulch?
Making mulch is a great way to recycle your yard waste. Here are the steps on how to make mulch!
1. Collect materials.
Collect leaves, branches, grass clippings, and other yard waste.
2. Chop up the material.
Use a lawn mower or leaf blower to chop up these materials into small pieces. You can also use a shovel or axe to chop them up if you don’t have either of those tools available.
3. Bury the chopped-up material in layers.
Begin with a layer of shredded leaves or other organic materials at least six inches deep, then add another layer of branches or twigs two inches deep, then another layer of shredded leaves two inches deep, and so on until you’ve reached your desired depth, usually about six inches.
4. Water your newly-made mulch well!
The water will help settle all the materials into an easy-to-use compost that won’t attract pests or weeds to your garden beds!
Tips you need to know on how to make mulch!
When you’re making mulch, there are a few important things to keep in mind.
- Start by getting rid of any weeds, grasses, or other plants that are growing in your area.
- Use a fork or shovel to break up the soil and remove large pieces of debris from your yard. You can also use a tiller or rototiller if you have one available.
- Spread out your compost and mix it with the top layer of soil before laying down the new mulch. The compost will help boost the quality of your mulch, add nutrients to your soil, and prevent weed growth.
- Water down the area where you’ve laid down your new mulch so that it can properly settle into place without shifting around too much while doing so.
- The best kind of mulch is organic, like fallen leaves or straws.
- Don’t use grass clippings unless you are certain they haven’t been treated with chemicals or pesticides.
- Add compost to your existing soil before planting so that you don’t have to add fertilizer later on.
- Use mulch sparingly. If you’re adding a layer of 3″ of organic or inorganic material, you should add 2-3 times the amount of compost you do mulch.
- Be sure that whatever mulch you choose has been sterilized first so that it doesn’t harbor insects like termites or other pests that may harm your plants’ health.
- Make sure your compost is completely finished before using it as mulch. It should have a crumbly texture and no discernable odor.
- Keep mulch away from the base of trees and shrubs by at least 3 feet to protect them from excess moisture buildup and potential root rot issues caused by bacteria in the mulch decomposing too quickly around their roots.
Make your mulch now!
To sum it all up, you can use your food scraps to make mulch for your garden. You can use various materials, including wood chips, grass clippings, and even newspapers.
And the best way to go about it is to place your compostable materials in a garbage can and cover them with soil or another material such as leaves or straw. Keep adding layers of compostable material until the entire bin is full. You may want to turn the contents occasionally so that all of it gets evenly mixed together and decomposes at an even rate.
Well, that’s it! We hope you’ve enjoyed this article on how to make mulch, and we can’t wait to see what you do with your new knowledge.