Mulching Made Easy

Mulching newly planted gardens and groundcovers helps conserve moisture and suppress weeds that compete for water and nutrients. But spreading mulch around small transplants can be a bit tedious. And if not done carefully can end up damaging your plants.

Make it easier with one of these two techniques. Start by preparing the soil and removing existing weeds. Cover the area with a 1- to 3-inch layer of mulch. The finer the mulch, the thinner the mulch layer needed.

Set your plants in the desired location, pull the mulch away from the spot, and plant.

Or plant your garden first, but dont discard the pot. Set these or other containers over the newly planted transplants and cover with mulch. Once the mulch is in place, lift the containers off the plants.

You may want to save some of your medium to large sized containers for larger transplants.

A bit of information: Shredded leaves and evergreen needles (pine straw) make great mulch for flowers and vegetables. These materials break down in a relatively short time, improving the soil as well as suppressing the weeds and conserving soil moisture.