much mulch

Our annual dump truck delivery of mulch arrived earlier in the week. Years ago when we were 'mulching rookies,' we had free mulch dumped at our house from the local township. Free is always good, but the mulch was quite chunky and there were often many large branches, and hunks of wood in it. Once there was even a shredded up shoe! We ended up spending quite a bit of time separating the usable mulch from the unusable mulch. Time is money, right? The amount we pay for our mulch is worth every penny. We always order 'natural' and make sure it is double-ground. Going through the shredder twice makes it fluffy and easy to handle. Now, as I weed I can immediately apply the mulch. I like to put down  at least 4" on my flower beds. 

Reasons I like mulch:

1. It keeps the weeds in check
2. Soil moisture is retained
3. When a weed pops up it is infinitely easier to pull out 
4. The soil temperature is kept consistent
5. The gradual decomposition of the mulch amends the soil, and 
6. It improves the appearance of my flower garden
   

Time to get busy...the weeds are calling.